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Turkey Issues Two-Year NAVTEX – Reasserts Claims of 'Demilitarization' in the Aegean

Published January 23, 2026, 15:17
Turkey Issues Two-Year NAVTEX – Reasserts Claims of 'Demilitarization' in the Aegean

Turkey has issued two NAVTEX with a duration of two years, reasserting its claims for 'demilitarized' islands in the Aegean Sea. These NAVTEX were issued shortly before the scheduled meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which has not yet been finalized. The first NAVTEX refers to the broadcast of announcements covering the Turkish continental shelf, the boundaries of which have not yet been determined, and emphasizes that all research activities in the area must be coordinated with Turkish authorities. The second NAVTEX specifically names the islands that Turkey considers to be subject to a regime of 'permanent demilitarization', including Thasos, Agios Efstratios, Psara, Samothrace, Lemnos, Lesvos, Chios, Ikaria, Samos, Astypalaia, Rhodes, Halki, Karpathos, Kasos, Tilos, Nisyros, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos, Leipsoi, Symi, and Kos, as well as the Kastellorizo complex. Turkey cites International Treaties (London Conference of 1914, Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, and Treaty of Paris of 1947) to support its claims, stating that military activities should not be carried out in the territorial waters of these islands. This move is seen as an escalation of tensions in the Aegean.