Strasbourg, France. Cypriot MEP Costas Mavrides called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey if its parliament passes a planned “maritime jurisdiction law” codifying maritime claims in the Aegean and Mediterranean. His remarks followed comments by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who said he expects a European response if the bill is adopted.
Call for sanctions over planned law
Mavrides, a member of the European Parliament from Diko, told a plenary session in Strasbourg late on Monday night that the planned law would give institutional status to the “Blue Homeland” doctrine, known as “Mavi Vatan” in Turkish. He said this would mark “the beginning of a new invasion of the Aegean and of the eastern Mediterranean.”
He said the doctrine “constitutes a blatant violation” of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), which he noted the European Union has ratified. Mavrides added that it is “essentially directed against the European Union itself, and not simply against Greece or Cyprus.”
References to past EU condemnation and Cyprus in 1974
Mavrides said the European Union and the European Parliament “strongly condemned it in 2019,” though it was unclear what he was referring to, as the term “blue homeland” has not been used in any European Parliament resolution.
He also referred to the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, saying that when a perpetrator is not punished for a crime, “it repeats it and consolidates and expands.”
Christodoulides expects a European response
Christodoulides said on Monday evening that he expects there to be a “European” response should Turkey’s parliament pass the bill. He said the issue affects Cyprus, Greece, other European states, and the United States, which he said has interests in the region based on international law and Unclos.
Christodoulides said he discussed the matter with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a visit to Athens last week, and that the issue had also been raised with European leaders.
What action do you think the European Union should take if Turkey’s parliament passes the maritime jurisdiction bill?