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Türkiye has reinforced its maritime position by officially adding two new marine protected areas (MPAs) to its National Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Map, in what experts describe as a significant step in protecting marine ecosystems while safeguarding sovereign rights in contested waters such as the Aegean.
The updated map, prepared by Ankara University’s National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) with input from relevant ministries, was registered with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) in June 2025. The latest additions – off Gökçeada in the Northern Aegean and in the Fethiye-Kaş region of the Mediterranean – were announced on Aug. 2, with plans for further MPAs in all of Türkiye’s surrounding seas.
According to DEHUKAM CEO Mustafa Başkara, the declaration of MPAs is a legitimate right under international law, but it comes with specific responsibilities. “Marine Protected Areas are an important tool for environmental protection,” he said. “In territorial waters, the power to declare them stems from a state’s full sovereignty. But in the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, states have only sovereign rights – primarily over resource exploration and use – and cannot entirely restrict freedom of navigation for other states. Any measures must be based on science, be transparent and respect the rights of others.”
Başkara noted that MPAs can be used to limit or even prohibit activities such as oil and gas exploration in sensitive marine environments, citing this as both an environmental opportunity and a governance challenge.
“In these zones, especially in the exclusive economic zone, environmental limits on resource exploitation can be imposed,” he explained. “But this requires a delicate balance between a state’s economic interests and its environmental obligations. If done properly, MPAs become a model of sustainable management rather than a source of conflict.”
The issue has gained urgency since Greece’s July 21 announcement of two new marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean seas, which Türkiye says unlawfully include “gray zones” – islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty was never transferred to Greece under international treaties. The Foreign Ministry said the move has “no legal effect” and will not impact Türkiye’s legitimate rights and interests.
Başkara argued that although Greece, as a member of the European Union, has undertaken significant commitments regarding the protection of natural resources, the geographical and temporal context of specific environmental protection measures implemented, particularly in maritime areas, indicates that ecological considerations do not solely drive these steps.
“These environmental designations are heavily concentrated in disputed waters,” he said. “It’s hard to ignore the geopolitical positioning here. Environmental protection should be a bridge for cooperation, not a tool for altering the balance of sovereignty.”
He added that such practices are not unique to Greece. “Internationally, there have been states using environmental arguments to create a de facto presence in contested maritime areas,” Başkara said.
“While the law does not recognize MPAs as a means of acquiring maritime jurisdiction, in practice, such steps can influence perceptions over time – which is why Türkiye must respond proactively.”
Türkiye’s MSP map outlines how its four surrounding seas – the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean – can accommodate multiple sectors sustainably, from shipping to fishing to renewable energy. Registered with the IOC-UNESCO’s MSPGlobal platform on June 12, the map signals, in Başkara’s words, “Türkiye’s commitment to both environmental responsibility and international legal compliance.”
The Aug. 2 update, adding the two MPAs, demonstrates the map’s “dynamic and living” nature. “These areas do not restrict the freedom of navigation of the other states,” Başkara emphasized.
“These areas are carefully designed to avoid interfering with legitimate uses by other states, while ensuring marine biodiversity is preserved. The Aegean’s heavy maritime traffic makes it essential to get this balance right.”
He also warned that environmental cooperation in the Aegean faces deep-rooted obstacles. “In theory, semi-enclosed seas like the Aegean should encourage cooperation between coastal states on environmental protection,” he said.
“In practice, long-standing disputes – over delimitation of maritime boundaries, the militarization of islands, the extension of the territorial waters, attempts to create a fait accompli over islands, islets and rocks whose sovereignty has not been ceded to Greece by treaties and unilateral actions regarding the implementation of the Flight Information Region (FIR) and search and rescue areas – make this difficult. When one side uses environmental measures around disputed features, it erodes trust and turns potential areas of cooperation into fronts in a political struggle.”
Türkiye’s own MPAs are rooted in scientific research and coordinated planning involving the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye. The government has pledged to expand them in all seas without disrupting economic sectors such as fisheries, shipping and tourism.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also highlighted the legal and diplomatic dimension. International maritime law, it states, promotes cooperation in semi-enclosed seas on issues such as environmental protection. This principle is reaffirmed through the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighborliness, signed on Dec. 7, 2023, by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who pledged to address disputes based on international law, equity and good neighborliness.
However, Türkiye insists that such principles must be matched by practice. “Türkiye’s position is clear,” Başkara said. “Environmental measures must serve their stated purpose and not be used as a back door for strategic gains. Türkiye will continue to monitor developments closely and take reciprocal steps when needed.”
He underlined that Türkiye rejects any unilateral move to alter the status quo in disputed areas. “Initiatives to create a de facto situation through islands, islets, and rocks whose sovereignty was not given to Greece through agreements – whether under the name of environmental protection or not – are legally null and void,” he said. “Türkiye makes this clear both publicly and directly to its Greek counterparts.”
For Başkara, the new MPAs serve both as a contribution to global biodiversity goals and as a reaffirmation of Türkiye’s maritime stance. “Türkiye is showing that it’s possible to protect the marine environment, fulfill international obligations and safeguard national maritime interests all at once,” he said. “That is precisely the vision that Türkiye’s MSP Map sends to the world.”
