Greece is sounding the alarm over Turkey’s plan to introduce the “Blue Homeland” doctrine and “gray zone” claims into its national law. Experts view this as an aggressive expansion of Ankara’s revisionist goals, designed to satisfy domestic hardliners.
The reality of this “strategy of tension” was felt on the water last week when a Turkish missile boat harassed a cable-laying vessel between Astypalaia and Kos, proving that Ankara is ready to back its legislative claims with naval muscle.
Greek fears over Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine
Turkey is preparing legislation to formally define its maritime jurisdiction areas, with the draft bill reportedly authorizing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to declare “bodies of water with special status.”
The legislation would support Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine in the Black Sea, Eastern Mediterranean and around occupied Cyprus, as well as areas linked to Ankara’s maritime agreement with Libya.
The doctrine was developed by former Turkish naval officers and refers to Turkey’s claims over maritime jurisdiction zones, continental shelf rights and exclusive economic interests in surrounding seas. It has long been regarded as a central pillar of the nation’s security strategy and geopolitical outlook, and at the center of disputes with Greece over the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
The draft legislation specifies that the legal status of islands, islets, and rock formations—collectively referred to as “gray zones” that periodically spark tensions between Turkey and Greece, particularly in the Aegean—is currently under review. The designation and status of these geographical features are set to be incorporated into the “Blue Homeland Law,” purportedly within the framework of the International Law of the Sea.
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