Greece is bracing for a difficult autumn in relations with Turkey as a row over newly declared Turkish marine parks coincides with two flashpoints: a planned restart of the Greece‑Cyprus electricity cable project in September and a Turkish parliamentary push in October on maritime jurisdiction laws.
The dispute over the marine parks has revived long‑standing disagreements over the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara says the parks fit within its maritime spatial planning and “Blue Homeland” doctrine and reiterates its claim that some islets and rocks have undetermined sovereignty.
Athens rejects the moves as illegal where they extend beyond Turkish territorial waters and into areas where Greece says it holds sovereign rights, insisting they create no legal facts.
The timing carries added weight as Turkey seeks to expand its geopolitical footprint in the wider Middle East, including through a recent “Mecca Agreement” with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. In Athens, these developments are watched as part of Ankara’s broader regional push rather than a direct shift in the bilateral balance, but they are seen as reinforcing a more assertive Turkish posture from the Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean.
The immediate test is the Great Sea Interconnector linking Greece and Cyprus. After French firm Meridiam joined the project, new offshore surveys and eventual cable‑laying could resume in September.
Memories of the 2024 Kasos incident, when research vessel movements sparked a sharp crisis, are fresh. If new NAVTEX notices are issued, it will quickly become clear whether both sides can avoid a repeat.
The second milestone is in Ankara. A draft law on maritime jurisdiction areas, tied to the “Blue Homeland” concept, was expected before summer but was delayed. Parliamentary work is now anticipated after the Turkish Grand National Assembly returns in October, though final passage is not guaranteed.
The bill would codify Turkey’s position that Greek islands do not automatically enjoy full effect in delimiting maritime zones, a core legal clash with Greece.
Domestic pressure in Athens is mounting. Police union ELAS called the Turkish parks “illegal” on parts of Greece’s continental shelf and urged a change of course, including possible EU sanctions.
Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras denounced the move as “international piracy,” while SYRIZA parliamentary leader Rena Dourou accused the government of responding with “wishful statements” and failing to protect the cable project in practice.
For now, the question is whether existing channels can keep the situation manageable or whether one of these flashpoints tips into a new on‑the‑ground crisis.
By Antonis Telopoulos
