Turkey Objects to Greece’s Updated Maritime Map Submitted to the EU

Greece’s submission of a supplemental Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) map to the European Commission has triggered renewed objections from Turkey, reopening long-standing disputes over maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The map, published on the EU’s official MSP platform, outlines Greece’s potential Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under national law as well as the EEZ areas already established through agreements with Egypt and Italy.

Turkey responded sharply, accusing Athens of attempting to use the EU’s MSP process to legitimize maritime claims that Ankara disputes. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Oncu Keçeli, argued that Greece is “instrumentalizing” the MSP framework to create political faits accomplis in the region.

What the updated Greek map includes and Turkey’s reaction

The supplemental map expands upon a version Greece submitted earlier this year. In addition to the potential EEZ envisioned under Greece’s domestic legislation, the new map includes the maritime zones formally agreed upon with Egypt and Italy. These agreements represent two of the instances in which Greece has officially delineated its EEZ with neighboring states.

A note included with the map clarifies that the submission comes from Greek authorities and acknowledges that Greece has not yet completed its full MSP package despite EU deadlines having long passed.

Ankara revives “Blue Homeland” claims

Turkey’s reaction reflects its broader “Blue Homeland” doctrine, which asserts extensive Turkish maritime rights across the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Keçeli accused Greece of disregarding the principles of international maritime law and trying to push the EU into accepting an EEZ that Athens has not formally declared in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean.

He argued that areas shown on the Greek map as part of the Greece–Egypt EEZ fall within what Turkey considers its continental shelf. Ankara maintains that Greece’s approach is unilateral and warned that efforts to formalize these claims “are doomed to fail.”

AB’nin Deniz Mekansal Planlama Platformu’nda Kayıtlı Yunan Deniz Mekansal Planlama Haritası Hakkında:

Türkiye, BM’nin ilgili organlarının tavsiyeleri doğrultusunda yürütülen Deniz Mekansal Planlama (DMP) çalışmalarını yakından takip etmektedir. Bilindiği üzere, ülkemiz 16 Nisan…

— Öncü Keçeli | Dışişleri Bakanlığı Sözcüsü (@SpoxTR_MFA) November 21, 2025

Greece’s and Turkey dispute has many deep diplomatic roots

Turkey also referenced its own unilateral submission to the United Nations in March 2020, in which it claimed the outer limits of what it calls its continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Athens rejects these claims as incompatible with international law and views the Greek–Egyptian EEZ agreement as a direct response to Turkey’s 2019 maritime accord with Libya’s Government of National Accord.

The latest exchange underscores the ongoing tension between Athens and Ankara over maritime rights, energy exploration, and regional sovereignty. Although diplomatic contacts have intensified in recent years, the dispute remains a central obstacle in Greek–Turkish relations—and the new MSP map has once again brought these divisions to the forefront.