Türkiye draws line against any Greek expansion of territorial waters in Aegean

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye on Thursday again drew a red line against any expansion of Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea.

"We will not allow the expansion of (Greek) territorial waters by even 1 mile in the Aegean, let alone 12," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told an end-of-year press briefing in the capital Ankara, responding to reports that Athens plans to extend territorial waters around the island of Crete to 12 nautical miles.

Citing a Turkish parliamentary 1995 decision on the matter, Cavusoglu said: "We are warning Greece once more. Don’t get into sham heroism by trusting those who might have your back. Don't seek adventurism. It won't end well for you!"

The 1995 declaration warns that if Greece increases its territorial waters in the Aegean beyond 6 miles, parliament will give "all powers,” including military powers, to the government to defend Türkiye's interests.

Cavusoglu said that declaration "remains in force today."

Türkiye continues its dialogue with the UN, US, Russia, Iraq as well as Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime, he said, also commenting on a tripartite meeting of the Turkish, Russian, and Syrian defense ministers and intelligence officials in Moscow on Wednesday.

"I will also be meeting with (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey) Lavrov," he added.