Nicosia, Cyprus. Cypriot MEP Loukas Fourlas called on the European Union to abandon what he described as a policy of equidistance towards Turkey after Ankara confirmed work on draft legislation linked to the ‘Blue Homeland’ (Mavi Vatan) maritime doctrine.
Letters to EU leaders
Fourlas wrote to European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, saying Turkey was attempting to “institutionalise illegality and expansionist policy” by incorporating the doctrine into domestic law.
Draft bill discussed in Ankara
The intervention followed a recent conference in Ankara where Turkish officials and academics confirmed the existence of a draft bill concerning maritime jurisdiction and “bodies of water with special status”.
Turkish officials said the proposed legislation would define maritime jurisdictions and establish the legal basis for activities within those zones.
Statements by Turkish officials and academics
Professor Cagri Erhan, acting chair of the Turkish presidency’s board of security and foreign policies, said the bill stemmed from efforts to preserve “the rights and interests of the Turkish nation” under international law.
Turkish maritime law centre director Mustafa Baskara said the legislation aligned with Turkey’s maritime policies in the Black Sea, eastern Mediterranean and waters surrounding the north of Cyprus and Libya.
“For us, the Blue Homeland is wherever a ship flying the Turkish flag reaches,” he said.
Doctrine and regional opposition
The ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine, developed by former Turkish naval officers, sets out Ankara’s claims over maritime zones in the Levant, Aegean and Black Sea.
Cyprus and Greece have strongly opposed the doctrine, arguing that Turkish claims violate international maritime law and the sovereign rights of neighbouring states.
Fourlas’ criticism of Turkey’s approach
In his letter, Fourlas said Ankara was attempting to transform “arbitrary claims into alleged state legitimacy”, while disregarding international law, the law of the sea and “the European legal order itself”.
How should the European Union respond to Turkey’s move to incorporate the ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine into domestic law?