Just hours before Greece released its official map of its Maritime Spatial Plan (MSP), a Turkish newspaper had published an article that Turkey was nearing completion of its MSP initiative, aimed at safeguarding national interests in surrounding seas and optimizing the sustainable use of marine resources.
One hour after the Greek MSP map, Turkey released its own one.
According to a report of the state-run news agency Anadolu, the National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) at Ankara University has published a preliminary map on its website, outlining designated areas beyond Turkey’s territorial waters for economic, scientific, and military activities. Although Turkey is not a member of the European Union, its MSP initiative “is purportedly aligned with the bloc’s policy framework,” the report added.
The map, while not representing Turkey’s official legal stance or jurisdiction, is said to mark a strategic step in marine spatial planning.
The map is essentially rooted in the country’s expansionist “Blue Homeland” maritime doctrine.
The map outlines Turkey’s maritime claims, including the continental shelf delimitation deal with the illegally occupied Northern part of Cyprus and the internationally disputed maritime accord with Libya in the west. In the Aegean Sea, the map adopts the median line between the Turkish and Greek mainlands as its basis.
To compare
Greek MSP
In addition, Anadolu news agency also reported that a similar MSP effort is being undertaken by the Turkish Cypriot administration in the northern part of Cyprus.
It should be recalled that the illegally occupied North of Cyprus is not recognized neither by the United Nations nor by any other country and therefore its alleged MSP is null and void under international law.
At the end of the day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing Greece of “unilateral approach” and rejected Greece’s Maritime Spatial Plan MSP claiming “it infringes on Turkey’s maritime jurisdiction in both the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.” It denounced that the MSP claiming that it “contains areas that unlawfully overlap with Turkish maritime zones.”
Ankara rejects that Greek islands have continental shelf and challenges the Greek sovereignty on them since the middle of the 1990’s.
But why has this Maritime Spatial Plan arose now?
Because it concerns the European Union directive about the environmental issue of Marine Parks. Greece had to present this map until 2021 but it did not do so to avoid friction with Turkey. The European Court convicted Greece for its failure and after the conviction it gave Greece a deadline to comply with the EU directive. The deadline expires on April 27, 2025.
Note that Turkey is not a member of the EU.
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