Opinion Europe

Turkey’s Maritime Parks Draw Sharp Criticism from Athens

Turkey declared two national maritime parks extending beyond its 6 nautical mile territorial waters limit, prompting Greece to state the unilateral move cannot create a fait accompli.

Konstantinos Kousantas Lieutenant General (ret.)

AUGUST 20, 2026 AT 11:00 AM

With Presidential Decisions dated August 15, 2026, Turkey declared two “national maritime parks” in the Northeastern Aegean between Samothrace and Lemnos, and in the Eastern Mediterranean between Rhodes and Kastellorizo, where the boundaries of the parks extend BEYOND TURKEY’S TERRITORIAL WATERS OF 6 nautical miles as established in 1964.

1. The announcement from our country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that:

A. The creation of maritime parks extends BEYOND THE TERRITORIAL WATERS of Turkey’s 6 nautical miles

B. This unilateral establishment by Turkey cannot create “FAIT ACCOMPLI”

C. The Presidential Decrees on maritime parks do not affect our country’s rights under INTERNATIONAL LAW

2. Turkey’s internal legitimization of the Maritime Parks BEYOND ITS TERRITORIAL WATERS constitutes the greatest possible legitimized provocation to date in Greek-Turkish Relations, which the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs indirectly acknowledges.

3. What does it mean that the creation of the maritime parks does not produce “fait accompli”?

A. Conceptually, the word “fait accompli” means things that have already BEEN ACCOMPLISHED and are not incomplete or lack legal force—legal force which Turkey is not concerned about

B. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ announcement means that our country is MONITORING EVENTS – SITUATIONS which have been accomplished on Turkey’s side, but which may in the future never change and remain as they are

C. This situation of legitimization of Turkey’s maritime parks constitutes an OFFICIAL UPGRADE VIA PRESIDENTIAL DECREE of Turkish positions beyond the Territorial Waters of 6 nautical miles, where it appropriates both Greece’s Territorial Waters (which has not extended from 6 nautical miles to 12 nautical miles) and the Sovereign Rights of the EEZ Continental Shelf

4. It is naive of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continuously invoke International Law because Turkey is already violating it in Syria, Iraq, Armenia, Cyprus. It is clear that Turkey wants to CONSOLIDATE SITUATIONS.

5. In practice ON THE GROUND, the specific passage of the Presidential Decree concerns an event, a new situation that may not change and consequently may create “fait accompli” in daily practice for Turkey’s executive authority.

6. In the event that Turkey’s intention is approved in October for the Internal Legitimization of the Blue Homeland, a whole tug-of-war will begin for HALF THE AEGEAN ON THE GROUND WITH UNPREDICTABLE CONSEQUENCES, because there will be a clash between the executive authorities of the 2 countries with results of continuous tension, crisis and whatever that entails.

7. As long as our country DELAYS EXTENDING its territorial waters EVERYWHERE from 6 nautical miles to 12 nautical miles, it is forfeiting a HISTORIC UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY to legitimize Greek Territory within the Greek Aegean by 73%, and the more Turkey will attempt to consolidate situations of contestation within the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Maps with the Boundaries of the Maritime Parks Published by Ankara

Konstantinos Kousantas

Konstantinos Kousantas (b. 1962) graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy in 1983 and is an alumnus of the Supreme Joint War College and the National Defence School. He holds two master's degrees, an MSc in International Security (Plymouth) and International Relations (Brussels). He completed his studies at the Department of Primary Education of the Democritus University of Thrace. He has served on the staff of the International Military Sport Council (CISM) with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Belgium – Brussels (2006–2009), and at the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Headquarters in Spain – Valencia as Assistant Chief of Staff with the rank of Brigadier General (2011–2013). After his retirement, he served as Director of the Office of the President of CISM in Belgium – Brussels (2014–2018). He is also a Senior Fellow at the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs of the University of Nicosia since 2022.