Turkey is attempting to move from rhetorical claims to efforts to enshrine them in law, bringing the “Blue Homeland” back into the spotlight.
Ankara is preparing a special legislative framework for its maritime zones, with the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean at the center, in a move expected to raise new concerns in Athens and Nicosia.
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According to a report by the Turkish newspaper Habertürk on October 24, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is in the final stages of preparing the bill.
Drafting is expected to proceed in November, with the goal of submitting it to the Turkish Grand National Assembly before the end of the year.
The bill aims to establish rules governing Turkey’s maritime zones of jurisdiction and the conduct of activities in those areas. In other words, Ankara is attempting to enshrine its positions on the “Blue Homeland” in a structured legal framework, thereby reinforcing their presence in its domestic legislation.
The focus is on the six-nautical-mile zone and the “gray zones”
At the same time, the bill reportedly stipulates that economic, scientific, and environmental activities within Turkey’s Exclusive Economic Zone will be subject to authorization by Ankara. Similar provisions are expected for seabed and subsoil operations.
Even more sensitive is the issue of islets and rocky outcrops, which the Turkish side has brought into the discussion regarding “gray zones.” The intention to include relevant legal definitions in the new framework reignites one of the main sources of tension in the Aegean, as Greece rejects Turkey’s challenges to its sovereignty over Greek islands and islets.
Source: iefimerida.gr
