Aegean Sea

Turkey speaks of “unilateral actions” that create de facto situations on islands in the Aegean where -according to them- their “sovereignty has not been determined”

Turkey's Defense Ministry said it "remained vigilant" regarding Greece's decision to declare two new Marine Parks, one in the Aegean Sea and the other in the Ionian Sea, saying it will not accept "unilateral conditions" in the islands of the Aegean. 

Trepidation about the future of the environment was expressed at the 9th International Our Ocean Conference in Athens, with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry saying that no country is close to living sustainably. Politicians, scientists and organizations from all over the world expressed similar concerns.

Some 20,000 Turks traveled to five Greek islands in the Aegean Sea during the nine-day-long Eid al-Fitr break after Greece launched the visa-on-arrival scheme for Turkish holidaymakers.

The number of Turkish tourists visiting those Greek islands increased by 20 percent compared to the same period of last year.

It's been more than a year of calm waters between Greece and Turkey and suddenly tensions seemed to have flared up again.

Earlier this week, Turkey hit out at Greece for its plans to declare two marine parks in the Aegean and the Ionian seas ahead of the Our Oceans Conference taking place in Athens next week.

Turkey has reacted to Greek plans for establishing a new marine park in the Aegean Sea by contesting the nation's sovereignty over islands within the region.

A priority for Athens is to maintain calm in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, and any tensions that arise should not lead to crises

In view of the ninth international conference on oceans, "Our Ocean," on April 16 and 17 in Athens, the government announced on Monday the first three of Greece's 20 commitments, concerning the creation of marine parks in the Aegean and Ionian seas and a ban on trawling in protected areas from 2026.

The government is preparing to announce the creation of two new marine parks - in the Ionian and Aegean seas - ahead of the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Greece (April 15-17). 

Vassilis Nedos, Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor, joins Thanos Davelis to look into a special visa program Greece launched for Turkish visitors who arrive on Greece's islands, and explore where it fits into ongoing efforts to maintain calm in the Aegean.