Greece and Turkey clashed over the maritime boundaries agreement between Ankara and Tripoli at a UN Security Council debate on maritime security on Thursday.
The open debate, titled “Emerging Technologies and Maritime Security: Implications for Peace and Security,” was held under Greece’s presidency of the Security Council and was a signature event of its October term.
Turkish Ambassador to the UN Ahmet Yildiz responded to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had characterized the Turkey-Libya memorandum as a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea.
Yildiz argued that the Security Council was not a judicial body tasked with delimiting maritime zones, adding that maps could illustrate competing claims but could not determine their legal validity. He defended the agreement, saying it had been in force since 2019, and maintained that a recent parliamentary move in Libya, which ratified the 2019 deal, demonstrated domestic support for it.
He also argued that the agreement neither determined nor prejudged the rights of states that were not parties to it. Turkey did not dispute the existence, population or sovereignty of Greek islands, he said, but the legal question concerned the weight they should carry when overlapping maritime claims are delimited.
Citing international case law, Yildiz maintained that islands were not automatically entitled to full effect in maritime delimitation. He also noted that Turkey was not a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and reiterated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal for an Eastern Mediterranean conference, which would also address the rights of Turkish Cypriots and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey.
Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN Aglaia Balta rejected Ankara’s arguments, reiterating Athens’ position that the Turkey-Libya memorandum was incompatible with both geography and international law.
She said the agreement’s ratification by Libya’s House of Representatives could not change its legal status, which Greece considers null and void, and that it therefore produced no legal effects. She also stressed that geography could not be altered and that an agreement between two states could not infringe on the sovereign rights of a third country.
Balta accused Turkey of seeking to apply international law selectively to advance its unilateral claims, citing Greece’s maritime delimitation agreements with Italy and Egypt as examples of its own approach.
Continue reading at: ekathimerini.com
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Turkey claims half of Aegean Sea in escalating dispute with Greece over marine zones
by EU Insider | Jun 18, 2025
Turkey has asserted that half of the Aegean Sea falls under its marine influence, intensifying its territorial dispute with Greece over the creation of ocean conservation zones.
Turkey has claimed that half of the Aegean Sea falls within its area of marine influence, escalating a long-standing territorial dispute with Greece concerning the designation of ocean conservation zones. The move comes after Greece announced plans to create marine parks in waters that Turkey also claims.
On Monday, Turkey submitted a maritime spatial plan to UNESCO, outlining areas designated for activities such as fishing, tourism, and renewable energy projects, as well as supporting the creation of marine protection zones. Although the plan does not define an exclusive economic zone for Turkey, the map reflects several of Turkey’s long-standing territorial claims, many of which conflict with those of neighboring Greece.
Greek officials stated that the Turkish map effectively splits the Aegean Sea in half and incorporates the maritime zones of numerous Greek islands into Turkey’s proposed jurisdiction. Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Chatzivasileiou said, “Ankara’s map is not based on any provision of international law and produces no legal effect. It reflects the long-standing Turkish positions but has no legal force. Greece will move [to respond] at all levels.”
The development follows Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ recent announcement that legal procedures will begin this month to establish Greece’s first two marine parks in the Ionian Sea and the Southern Cyclades region of the Aegean Sea. According to Greek officials, the Southern Cyclades park will not involve contested areas, while Turkish concerns are more focused on the Dodecanese islands and nearby islets, which were excluded from current Greek plans.
Turkey argues that Greek islands are not entitled to full maritime zones beyond 6 nautical miles, a position that Greece maintains is contrary to international maritime law. In the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey’s map extends to boundaries defined by a 2020 Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum, which Athens rejects as illegal and invalid. The Turkish map also highlights areas licensed to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation for exploration.
In April, Greece published its national Maritime Spatial Plan for the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, following years of delays that drew criticism from the European Commission. Ankara rejected the Greek plan, claiming it infringes on Turkey’s claimed maritime jurisdiction and criticized what it described as Greece’s unilateral approach.
Continue reading at: euinsider.eu
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