Turkey criticized Greece’s updated maritime planning map submitted to the European Union, reigniting disputes over maritime zones and sovereignty. Greece’s supplemental Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) map to the EU has triggered renewed objections from Turkey, reopening long‑standing arguments over maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean. The map outlines Greece’s potential Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under national law and the EEZ areas already established through agreements with Egypt and Italy.
“Turkey is instrumentalizing the MSP framework to create political faits accomplis in the region,” said a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, asserting Greece’s attempts to gain EU recognition for its maritime claims lack a valid basis in international law.
The supplementary map expands upon a version Greece submitted earlier this year. It includes the potential EEZ envisioned under Greece’s domestic legislation, as well as the maritime zones formally agreed upon with Egypt and Italy. These agreements represent two instances in which Greece has officially delineated its EEZ with neighboring states. A note accompanying the map clarifies that the submission comes from Greek authorities and acknowledges that Greece has not yet completed its full MSP package despite EU deadlines having long passed.
In response, Turkey rejected the map’s claims, arguing that Greece seeks to legitimize unilateral maritime boundaries through the EU MSP process. The dispute underscores ongoing contention regarding the interpretation of UNCLOS principles, regional rights, and the appropriate role of EU mechanisms in sovereign maritime planning.
Context: The Greek MSP submission and the Turkish reaction form part of a broader, protracted rift over Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean maritime jurisdiction, with multiple actors asserting competing limits and recognition of EEZs and continental shelves.
Author’s summary: The Greek MSP update aims to outline potential Greek EEZs and existing agreements, while Turkey denounces the move as a unilateral, EU-backed attempt to redefine maritime boundaries, highlighting a renewed phase in Aegean disputes.