A brief period of unexpected tranquility between Greece and Turkey ended after less than three years.
Following the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey in February 2023, Greece dispatched extensive humanitarian aid, drawing the two nations closer. In December 2023, they further cemented this rapprochement by signing the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good‑Neighbourliness.
During this fleeting calm, neither side took concrete steps to settle the longstanding disputes over maritime delimitation, which remain the primary source of contention. Consequently, an initiative ostensibly aimed at environmental preservation has rekindled regional friction.
The current controversy erupted when Turkey announced the creation of two marine protected areas in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean earlier this month. One park, located in the northeastern Aegean, encompasses waters between the Greek islands of Lemnos and Samothrace. The second lies east of Rhodes and encircles the island of Kastellorizo.
For decades, Greece and Turkey have been locked in disputes over the delineation of their maritime borders in the Aegean and the associated economic rights, notably claims to natural resources such as oil.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry promptly condemned the move, labeling the establishment of the parks “illegal” and asserting that Turkish marine parks outside its territorial waters possess no legal standing.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a Cabinet meeting earlier this week that Greece seeks to maintain good relations with its neighbors, yet he emphasized that “areas under Greek sovereignty are defined by international law” and that the country “remains prepared to defend them.”
Competing to protect the Mediterranean?
Greece, for its part, announced two marine parks in 2025 — in the Ionian Islands and the southern Cyclades — both within its own territorial waters. Turkey responded sharply, warning that “unilateral actions should be avoided in closed or semi‑closed seas such as the Aegean and the Mediterranean.”
Nevertheless, Turkey has now declared its own marine parks without consulting Greece. Environmental protection appears to have been, at best, a secondary motive for both nations. Instead, the designations seem to serve as a fresh tactic to assert dominance in the contested maritime zones, marking another episode in a long‑standing regional dispute.
Kastellorizo caught up in Greece-Turkey dispute (09.2020)
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Greece believes Turkey is using the marine parks to challenge the sovereignty of Greek islands, viewing the move as an extension of Turkey’s revisionist “Mavi Vatan” doctrine, Turkish for “Blue Homeland.”
The doctrine asserts Turkey’s claims to the exclusive economic zones of Greece and Cyprus — maritime regions granting coastal states special rights over fishing and natural‑resource exploitation — and questions the sovereignty of numerous Greek islands and islets.
Until recently, the doctrine remained largely theoretical and strategic. It is now being pursued through legislative proposals in Turkey’s parliament, with the marine parks intended to formalize greater Turkish control over parts of the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
Greece invests in defense
While Greece is comfortable with the status quo in the Aegean, it perceives Turkey as a significant threat due to its superior military capabilities. Consequently, Greece has ramped up procurement of fighter jets, frigates, submarines and air‑defense systems.
After several years of reduced arms purchases, Greece ranked 19th globally among the largest importers of major weapons from 2021 to 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Even as Athens cultivates new partnerships, Turkey remains a factor in its strategic calculations. In 2021, for example, the Greek government deployed Patriot air‑defense missiles to Saudi Arabia, despite domestic opposition, to safeguard Saudi oil refineries from Houthi attacks — at a time when Riyadh and Ankara were at political odds.
During a state visit with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister Mitsotakis explicitly described Turkey’s role as “destabilizing and counterproductive.”
Relations between Ankara and Riyadh have since improved. In early August, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Defense Pact, a major joint defense agreement.
An ‘Iron Dome’ for Greece
In a bid to counter potential threats from Turkey, Greece has also deepened strategic cooperation with Israel. Despite mounting criticism within Greece over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Mitsotakis continues to maintain close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Greek Defense Ministry is planning an air‑defense shield over the Aegean, modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome. The initiative, named “Achilles Shield,” aims to safeguard against a full spectrum of threats, including those from neighboring states, and is slated to reach full operational capability by 2029.
Mitsotakis currently strikes a conciliatory tone toward Turkey. However, with Greece scheduled to hold parliamentary elections by spring 2027 at the latest, he may face increasing pressure to adopt a more assertive nationalist stance as the electoral campaign heats up.
Greece’s Santorini: Balancing tourism and the environment
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
This article was originally written in German.
