Greece is a maritime nation, a sea power par excellence. The legal notion of
Archipelago finds its first use with the Greeks; archipelago, namely the starting part
of the sea, wasthe alternative description of the Aegean, the sea which istantamount
to the existential affirmation of the Greek nation.
Now, Turkey, a continental country aspiring to become a maritime power from
Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, covets parts of the Aegean and the
Mediterranean beyond, reminding us of the appetites of the Persian empire at the
expense of the vibrant city states of Greece, 2500 years ago.
The regime in the Aegean is defined by the Treaties of Lausanne (1923) and Paris
(1947), as well as by the Montreux Convention on the Dardanelles Straits (1936). It is
overarchingly governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS,1983).
Turkey has embarked on a series of successive acts of harassment of the sovereign
rights of Greece in the Aegean. It has been doing so, voting at first a law (1995)
proclaiming a casus belli in case Greece extends its sovereign waters in the Aegean to
12 nautical miles, as authorized and sanctioned by UNCLOS. It upgraded its claims
with the Imia incident (January 1996) and further proceeded with the flagrantly illegal
and geographically absurd Memorandum of Understanding with Tripoli Libya οn
delimitation of the respective maritime zones (Nov 27, 2019). To add insult to injury,
Turkey takes a new twist in encroaching Greek sovereign rights, at the same time
aiming at forestalling the option of Greece, applying reason and common sense, to
extend her territorial sea, constantly within the margins set by UNCLOS. A case in
point of Greece s moderation is the content of the Cairo agreement between Egypt
and Greece to delimit their maritime zones (August 06, 2020).
Turkey, faithful to the proven practice of testing the waters before its next move, over
the last month has been drumming up a new draft law to encompass and codify the
tenets of their “blue homeland” extravaganza. The objective of Turkey is clear; they
work meticulously to evict Greece from the Aegean, in the same way asthey managed
in the course of centuries to clear Anatolia of the Greek presence.
We want all people of good will, no matter their religion, race, loyalty, to know that
Turkey goes beyond any acceptable line of action, that Turkey creates problems with
neighbours, this time with the Hellenic Republic. The Treaty of Lausanne constituted
Turkey to be a continental power and created Greece, concomitant to her legacy, a
country of the seas. The article 12 οf the said Lausanne Treaty unambiguously
stipulates that any piece of earth lying three miles or more to the west of the
Anatolian coast, does not belong to Turkey, aka it is Greek territory.
Greek people confronted with a gathering storm, support on this grave issue in
unshakable unison their government and they urge them not to cave in and instead
proceed duly in safeguarding their vital interests in the Aegean and the other seas
surrounding the peninsula and the islands. This is the way to maintain peace in
eastern Mediterranean for the benefit of present and future generations.
STRAVON,
on the coast of Mesogaia.
Monday, June 1, 2026
THE AEGEAN ARCHIPELAGO: (Challenge from Anatolia)
