Marine parks are a source of contention. Greece creates parks in the Mediterranean, Türkiye protests.

Temperatures in the Aegean Sea have risen. And not because of the heatwave. Tensions between Ankara and Athens increased when Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Monday, July 21, that Greece will establish two new marine national parks. One will be in the Ionian Sea, and the other in the southern Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea. The Greek Prime Minister called the sea “Greece’s silent power,” emphasizing its deep connection to the country’s identity, history, and livelihoods. Turkey protests, announcing: “We will announce projects in our marine areas.”

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the Greek initiative during a speech at the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC3) in June of this year. These parks will be among the largest marine protected areas in the Mediterranean. He said the new parks reflect Greece’s commitment to protecting its maritime heritage for future generations.

Greece – the voice of the sea in Europe
According to the Prime Minister of Greece, marine parks “will enable Greece to achieve its goal of protecting 30% of its territorial waters by 2030, well ahead of schedule.” He added that the parks will become vast sanctuaries for marine life beneath the waves. “Greece can become the voice of the sea in Europe and beyond,” the Prime Minister emphasized, reports the Shipping Telegraph.

Since the announcement on July 21st of this year that Greek marine national parks would be established in the Southern Cyclades and Ionian Sea, public consultations have been underway. These will last until September 22nd, in accordance with national and EU regulations, the Greek government announced. The aim is “to allow interested citizens and organizations to submit their comments and suggestions.” The government promises that “These will be taken into account in the final establishment of the Ionian Marine National Park and the South Aegean Marine National Park 1 – Southern Cyclades.”
According to Greek media reports, the final size of the parks is larger than the previously announced projects. Their area in the Ionian and Southern Cyclades Islands exceeds initial targets. The protected areas reach 27,500 km². The government justifies the creation of marine parks in such vast areas “because these are particularly sensitive environmental ecosystems,” said Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou in an interview with Greek television Skai.

Papastavrou explained that the creation of marine parks expands protection to 35% of the country’s territorial waters, a move that has already been welcomed by environmental organizations. He emphasized that “with this initiative, Greece is a pioneer at the European level, as the obligation to establish marine parks in 30% of its territorial waters by 2030 will be implemented much earlier, in 2026, and will cover a larger percentage, reaching 35%,” according to the Shipping Telegraph. “These vast reserves beneath the sea will help preserve ecosystems, restore balance, and set a bold new standard for marine conservation,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized, adding: “A key element of the initiative will be the ban on bottom trawling, as this is an exceptionally destructive practice.”

“Conservation is just the beginning,” Mitsotakis said. “We will also educate, collaborate, and lead – working with local communities, fishermen, scientists, and international partners to make these parks model examples of what is possible,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by the Keep Talking Greece website.

Mitsotakis said that Greece aims to become a leading voice in ocean conservation in Europe and beyond. “Because by protecting our oceans, we protect our future,” the Greek Prime Minister emphasized.

Greek marine parks. Source: “Keep Talking Greece” website

South Aegean Marine National Park 1 – Southern Cyclades

The Southern Cyclades are a priority in the first phase of the marine park’s creation. Greeks consider it the most sensitive ecosystem in this part of the Mediterranean. The park covers a very important ecological part of the Aegean Sea. For years, it has been under severe pressure from negative human impact, primarily due to tourism.

The park was designated based on precise scientific criteria. In fact, its area exceeds the commitments made at the Our Ocean conference. The authors of the blog “Keep Talking Greece” emphasize that “This is a project with a high degree of environmental and technical complexity, which must be ecologically coherent and meet the conditions for effective management, supervision, and protection of the park.”

The Greek government announces: “We are gradually implementing the first phase in the Cyclades. The next phase will follow soon. We would like to remind you that the Alonissos National Marine Park already exists in the North Aegean Sea.”

The Ionian Marine National Park is being established because, according to Greek scientists, it is crucial for the life of many species of marine mammals. They use the Hellenic Trench of the Ionian Sea as their primary habitat. Fishermen’s activities, as well as the activities of tourists and sailors, cause “anthropogenic pressures such as ship collisions and underwater noise.” The total area of the Park is approximately 18,000 km².

Statement by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the establishment of marine nature parks:

Turkish Response
In response to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s announcement that Greece would establish two marine national parks, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement. The Turkish government accuses Greece of this move as a “unilateral action.” The Turkish government recalled that it issued the statement on April 9, 2024.
Immediately after Greece announced the initiative, the Turkish government announced that “the Marine Parks to be launched in the Aegean Sea will have no legal implications in the context of the interconnected Aegean issues between the two countries, including certain geographical features whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece under international treaties.”

Disputes over waters in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas continue to impact relations between the neighbors. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “Turkey will announce its environmental protection projects in its maritime areas in the coming days.” The Greek Prime Minister also cited the documentary “Ocean” in justifying the creation of marine parks in Greek waters. “If you have watched Sir David Attenborough’s extraordinary new documentary, “Ocean,” you will understand why the creation of marine parks is so important. “Ocean” is a deeply moving film that both informs and inspires. It reminded me, and I hope it will remind us all, that the sea is not just beautiful landscapes. It is life itself. Fragile. Powerful. And endangered,” emphasizes Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Mitsotakis explains that we should approach the marine environment not as owners, but as caretakers. “Working with local communities, local fishermen, scientists, and also global partners, we will ensure that these parks become examples of what is possible. In this way, Greece can become the voice of the sea, both in Europe and beyond. ‘Because by protecting our ocean, we protect our own future,'” the Shipping Telegraph quotes. Referring to previous treaties, the Turkish side stated that “unilateral actions in enclosed or semi-enclosed seas, such as the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, should be avoided. International maritime law encourages cooperation, including on environmental issues, between coastal states in enclosed or semi-enclosed seas. In this context, we emphasize that Turkey remains ready to cooperate with Greece, as one of the two coastal states of the Aegean Sea.”

A statement from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized: “We take this opportunity to emphasize that efforts to apply universal values, such as environmental protection, in the context of interconnected issues in the Aegean Sea and issues related to the status of certain islands, islets, and rocks whose sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece by international treaties, will have no legal consequences now, just as they did not in the past.”

And this highly desirable initiative has once again raised temperatures in the Aegean region. And this has nothing to do with this year’s scorching summer.