This study critically examines the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) delimitation and regional cooperation efforts impacting Greco-Turkish relations in the Eastern Mediterranean, focusing on their influence on both nations’ maritime security definitions. With the increasing strategic significance of maritime areas, Greek and Turkish perspectives on security are becoming ever more significant. This paper posits that the interrelations between Greece and Turkiye significantly shape their respective maritime security frameworks. Through a comprehensive review, we juxtapose the evolution of general security concepts with the specific developments in maritime security as perceived by each country. This approach reveals the profound impact of bilateral tensions on maritime security perceptions and policies. The analysis extends to the implications of these dynamics for regional stability and international maritime law, underpinning the urgent need for a collaborative and equitable approach to resolve ongoing maritime disputes. This research contributes to the broader field of international relations by highlighting the intricate relationship between historical conflicts, national security paradigms, and maritime sovereignty claims, proposing new directions for future research in regional security cooperation and conflict resolution.

1. Adler, E. (2013). Constructivism in International Relations: Sources, Contributions, and Debates. Handbook of International Relations, 112–144. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446247587.n5
2. Baldwin, D. A. (1997). The concept of security. In: Review of International Studies. London: Routledge. pp. 5-26.
3. Berling, T. V., Gad, U. P., Petersen, K. L., & Wæver, O. (2022). Translations of security: A framework for the study of unwanted futures. Taylor & Francis.
4. Bueger, C. (2015). What is maritime security? Marine Policy, 53, 159–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2014.12.005
5. Buzan, B. (2015). The English School: A neglected approach to International Security Studies. Security Dialogue, 46(2), 126–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010614555944
6. Chao, B. C., & Cho, H. B. (2022). Security in the Asia-Pacific and signaling at sea. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 23(3), 511–539. https://doi.org/10.1093/irap/lcac007
7. Charitou, A., Naasan Aga-Spyridopoulou, R., Mylona, Z., et al. (2021). Investigating the knowledge and attitude of the Greek public towards marine plastic pollution and the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 166, 112182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112182
8. Checkel, J. T. (1998). The Constructive Turn in International Relations Theory. World Politics, 50(2), 324–348. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0043887100008133
9. Collins, A. (2022). Contemporary security studies. Oxford University Press.
10. Deibert, R. (2008). The geopolitics of internet control: Censorship, sovereignty, and cyberspace. In: Routledge Handbook of Internet Politics. London: Routledge.
11. Demiryol, T. (2018). Between security and prosperity: Turkey and the prospect of energy cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Studies, 20(3), 442–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683849.2018.1534204
12. Dodds, K., & Woon, C. (2019). Triumphant geopolitics? Making space of and for Arctic geopolitics in the Arctic Ocean. In: Arctic Triumph: Northern Innovation and Persistence. Berlin: Springer.
13. Eker, K. (2023). The Flagship of the Turkish Defense Industry: The Route to MİLGEM. In: Military Innovation in Türkiye. Routledge.
14. Finnemore, M., & Sikkink, K. (1998). International Norm Dynamics and Political Change. International Organization, 52(4), 887–917. https://doi.org/10.1162/002081898550789
15. Fonseca Júnior, G., & Uziel, E. (2022). Realist Dystopia - Hans Morgenthau and the Changing Role of the United Nations in World Politics. Contexto Internacional, 44(3). https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-8529.20224403e20210025
16. Güner, S. Ş. (2004). Aegean Territorial Waters Conflict: An Evolutionary Narrative. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 21(4), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1080/07388940490882578
17. Grigoriadis, I. N. (2022). Between escalation and détente: Greek-Turkish relations in the aftermath of the Eastern Mediterranean crisis. Turkish Studies, 23(5), 802–820. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683849.2022.2087509
18. Jo, S., & D’agostini, E. (2020). Disrupting technologies in the shipping industry: How will MASS development affect the maritime workforce in Korea. Marine Policy, 120, 104139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104139
19. Kahler, M. (2018). Inventing International Relations: International Relations Theory After 1945. In: Doyle, M. W., & Ikenberry, G. J. (editors). New Thinking In International Relations Theory. London: Routledge. pp. 20-45.
20. Kalfeli, N., Angeli, C., Gardikiotis, A., et al. (2022). Between Two Crises: News Framing of Migration during the Greek-Turkish Border Crisis and COVID-19 in Greece. Journalism Studies, 24(2), 226–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670x.2022.2155987
21. Kaliber, A. (2005). Securing the Ground Through Securitized “Foreign” Policy: The Cyprus Case. Security Dialogue, 36(3), 319–337. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010605057019
22. King, D., Le Galès, P., & Vitale, T. (2017). Assimilation, security, and borders in the member States. In: Reconfiguring European States in Crisis. Oxford: Oxford Academic.
23. Kirtsoglou, E. (2006). Phantom Menace: What Junior Greek Army Officers Have to Say about Turks and Turkey. South European Society and Politics, 11(1), 163–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/13608740500470422
24. Kollias, C., & Paleologou, S. M. (2003). Domestic political and external security determinants of the demand for greek military expenditure. Defence and Peace Economics, 14(6), 437–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/1024269032000085206
25. Kyriazanos, I., Ilias, I., Lazaris, G., et al. (2001). A Cohort Study on Helicobacter pyloriSerology Before and After Induction in the Hellenic Navy. Military Medicine, 166(5), 411–415. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/166.5.411
26. Larsson, O. L., & Widen, J. J. (2022). The European Union as a Maritime Security Provider – The Naval Diplomacy Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610x.2022.2058863
27. Lebrouhi, B. E., Djoupo, J. J., Lamrani, B., et al. (2022). Global hydrogen development - A technological and geopolitical overview. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 47(11), 7016–7048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.12.076
28. Lobastova, S. (2020). Geopolitics of Cyberspace and Virtual Power. Journal of Liberal Arts and Humanities, 3.
29. Makras, P., Alexiou‐Daniel, S., Antoniadis, A., et al. (2001). Outbreak of Meningococcal Disease after an Influenza B Epidemic at a Hellenic Air Force Recruit Training Center. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 33(6), e48–e50. https://doi.org/10.1086/322609
30. Marino, S., Roosblad, L., & Penninx, R. (2017). Trade Unions and Migrant Workers: New Contexts and Challenges in Europe. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
31. Mazokopakis, E. E. (2004). Overweight and obesity in Greek warship personnel: Prevalence and correlations. The European Journal of Public Health, 14(4), 395–397. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/14.4.395
32. Mearsheimer, J. J. (2001). The tragedy of great power politics. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
33. Muirhead, P. M. P. (2004). New technology and maritime training in the 21st century: Implications and solutions for MET institutions. WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs, 3(2), 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03195056
34. Oikonomou, Z.-S., & Dikou, A. (2008). Integrating Conservation and Development at the National Marine Park of Alonissos, Northern Sporades, Greece: Perception and Practice. Environmental Management, 42(5), 847–866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9163-x
35. Østhagen, A. (2019). The New Geopolitics of the Arctic: Russia, China and the EU. European View, 18(2), 259–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/1781685819883140
36. Panebianco, S. (2016). The Mediterranean migration crisis: border control versus humanitarian approaches. Global Affairs, 2(4), 441–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2016.1278091
37. Papazoglou, A. S., Athanaseas, I., Fousekis, K., et al. (2023). Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges in a Military Recruit Training Center of the Hellenic Navy: A Retrospective Analysis of the Poros Registry Serving as a Quality Improvement Project for Medical Officers. Military Medicine, 189(1–2), e166–e175. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usad243
38. Perçin, F., Akyol, O., Davas, A., & Sayğı, H. (2012). Occupational health of Turkish Aegean small-scale fishermen. Occupational medicine, 62(2), 148–151. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqr181
39. Peters, K. (2014). Tracking (Im)mobilities at Sea: Ships, Boats and Surveillance Strategies. Mobilities, 9(3), 414–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2014.946775
40. Petza, D., Maina, I., Koukourouvli, N., et al. (2017). Where not to fish—reviewing and mapping fisheries restricted areas in the Aegean Sea. Mediterranean Marine Science, 18(2), 310. https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.2081
41. Risse, T. (2000). “Let’s Argue!”: Communicative Action in World Politics. International Organization, 54(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1162/002081800551109
42. Roach, J. A. (2004). Initiatives to enhance maritime security at sea. Marine Policy, 28(1), 41–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2003.10.010
43. Rosenbach, E., & Mansted, K. (2019). The Geopolitics of Information. Cambridge: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
44. Sakellariou, A. (2017). Fear of Islam in Greece: migration, terrorism, and “ghosts” from the past. Nationalities Papers, 45(4), 511–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/00905992.2017.1294561
45. Sarantaki, A. M. (2023). Frontex and the Rising of a New Border Control Culture in Europe. Taylor & Francis.
46. Stergiou, A. (2022). The Aegean Dispute in the Context of International Treaties and International Courts’ Judgements: A Critical Appraisal. In: The Greek-Turkish Maritime Dispute: Resisting the Future. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
47. Su, C. W., Khan, K., Umar, M., et al. (2021). Does renewable energy redefine geopolitical risks? Energy Policy, 158, 112566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112566
48. Topalidis, G. T., Kartalis, N. N., Velentzas, J. R., et al. (2024). New Developments in Geopolitics: A Reassessment of Theories after 2023. Social Sciences, 13(2), 109. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13020109
49. Triandafyllidou, A., & Dimitriadi, A. (2014). Deterrence and Protection in the EU’s Migration Policy. The International Spectator, 49(4), 146–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2014.956280
50. Tsitselikis, K. (2013). Sticks, not carrots: immigration and rights in Greece and Turkey. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 13(3), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2013.824666
51. Turner, J., & Roberts, A. (2023). Inter-societal Dynamics: Toward a General Theory. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Nature.
52. Velonakis, E. G., Tsorva, A., Tzonou, A., et al. (1989). Asbestos‐related chest X‐ray changes among greek merchant marine seamen. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 15(5), 511–516. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.4700150504
53. Wolfers, A. (1952). National security as an ambiguous symbol. In Political Science Quarterly, 67(4), 481-502.