Türkiye accuses Greece of flouting international maritime law

Türkiye has criticised Greece over an updated maritime spatial planning map submitted to the European Commission’s Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) platform, saying it violates Türkiye’s maritime jurisdiction.

Speaking on X, a spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Öncü Keçeli, said Ankara was closely monitoring maritime spatial planning activities in line with UN guidelines.

He stressed that Türkiye had declared its national maritime spatial plan on April 16 and informed UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission on June 12.

Keçeli said the revised Greek map, known as the DMP, infringes on Türkiye’s maritime zones in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

He accused Greece of using the map to seek EU recognition of an unofficially declared exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the region.

“Türkiye rejects this unlawful attempt to impose a fait accompli,” Keçeli said, adding that Türkiye had notified the UN of its continental shelf boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean on March 18 2020.

He argued that Greece’s attempts to legitimise its EEZ claims through maritime planning maps were unilateral and contrary to international law.

By Aghakazim Guliyev