Turkey goes on the offensive. The country led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wants to enshrine the so-called “Blue Homeland” doctrine into law. This project, expected at the beginning of June according to Greek diplomatic sources relayed by Euractiv, directly concerns the control of the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara is questioning the current maritime borders and could thus officially challenge the sovereignty of more than 150 Greek islands. Turkey defends the idea that maritime borders should be drawn along a median line between the Turkish coast and the Greek mainland, arguing that the Greek islands close to Anatolia should not automatically benefit from complete exclusive economic zones.
Divergences within the EU
This questioning comes as possible gas and oil reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean have been discovered and are already attracting the attention of the United States. The political context is all the more sensitive as elections are to be held in Greece and Turkey. Ankara also disputes Athens’ right to extend its territorial waters from six to twelve nautical miles, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which Greece has ratified. The country believes that this would constitute a casus belli – an act motivating a declaration of war.
The Turkish project, already examined at the highest level of the European Commission – particularly because of energy issues – is causing serious concern in Athens, while in Brussels, certain officials are raising the possibility of sanctions. Greek MEP Nikolas Farantouris even considers that the EU could be forced to invoke the mutual assistance clause provided for in the European treaties.
However, positions diverge between Member States. If France is seen as a reliable partner by Athens, other countries favor a more pragmatic approach towards Ankara. Spain, which has become Europe’s leading arms exporter to Turkey in recent years, has considerably strengthened its trade with the country. Germany, for its part, is exercising caution, torn between security issues and the migration question. The former President of the European Council, Charles Michel, described Turkey as a strategic partner of NATO, while the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, considered it impossible to think about European security without Ankara.
The strategic rapprochement between Greece, Cyprus and Israel could have played a role for Turkey, which accuses the trio of destabilizing the region and Tel Aviv of committing genocide in Gaza. For its part, Israel criticizes the Turkish government for wanting to impose a form of hegemony in the Eastern Mediterranean. The NATO summit, scheduled for July 7 and 8 in Ankara, could be a decisive moment for the evolution of the file. Donald Trump’s possible visit to Greece before this meeting should be closely monitored.
