Turkey Plans Response to Greece's Marine Parks Initiative in the Aegean Sea
In response to Greece's decision to establish marine parks in the Aegean Sea, Turkey is planning to establish its own marine parks in the region. The pro-government Turkish daily newspaper, Daily Sabah, reported that Turkeys Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry intends to map out marine parks as a countermeasure. A Turkish official, speaking anonymously, expressed that Greece's decision was perceived by Turkey as a fait accompli, as Ankara was neither consulted nor informed in advance. Greece had announced plans in April during an international oceans conference in Athens to create two large marine parks as part of a 780 million euro program aimed at safeguarding biodiversity and marine ecosystems. The marine parks are set to cover significant portions of the Aegean and Ionian Seas, with the first park including 11 groups of islands and islets from Milos to Nisyros, dubbed the Greek Galapagos for their diverse ecosystem. The second park will stretch from Kefalonia to Kythera and Antikythera. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has indicated that Turkey perceives Greece's initiative as potentially breaching its red line, whereas Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis maintains that the project is solely environmental in nature.
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