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 European Commission presents Greece’s potential Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under national law and the EEZ areas already established through agreements with Egypt and Italy, prompting sharp Turkish objections.
“Greece is instrumentalizing the MSP framework to create political faits accomplis in the region,” said a spokesman of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oncu Keçeli, framing Athens’ actions as an illegitimate effort to gain EU recognition for disputed maritime claims.
The map expands on a version Greece had submitted earlier in the year and clarifies that the submission comes from Greek authorities. It also notes that Greece has not yet completed its full MSP package despite EU deadlines having long passed. The document outlines two key areas already delineated through agreements with neighboring states (Egypt and Italy) in addition to Greece’s potential EEZ under its domestic legislation.
The EU MSP platform hosting the map serves as a repository for maritime planning data, but Greece emphasizes that the new map continues to reflect ongoing domestically driven delineations rather than finalized EU-aligned boundaries. Turkey asserts that these moves undermine its own maritime rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and views the MSP process as incompatible with international law.
Contextually, the dispute sits within a broader, long-standing contention over maritime boundaries in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, with Greece pursuing formalized delineations of its EEZ in several closely watched regions and Turkey challenging the basis and legitimacy of those claims.
Author’s summary: The updated Greek MSP map, highlighting Greece’s proposed EEZ alongside existing agreements with Egypt and Italy, drew Turkish rebuke as Ankara argues the move leverages EU processes to legitimize contested claims, underscoring ongoing Eastern Mediterranean tensions.