Fourteen articles, fresh Aegean friction

Turkey is preparing authorities consisting of 14 articles that would formally specify the country’s maritime areas of responsibility, continental support and exclusive economical zone, according to reports from Ankara, successful a determination intimately watched by Greece amid renewed concerns implicit disputes successful the Aegean.

The projected legislation, widely referred to successful Turkey arsenic the “Blue Homeland” bill, is expected to beryllium submitted to the Turkish parliament adjacent month. Kathimerini understands the measure will incorporate elaborate ineligible descriptions of maritime zones, rights Turkey says deduce from customary planetary law, and the activities Ankara considers itself entitled to behaviour successful those areas.

Turkish media reports accidental the bill’s cardinal innovation would authorize President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to state areas of “special status” successful maritime regions where Turkey has not formally determined its continental support oregon exclusive economical zone. The proviso has drawn peculiar attraction due to the fact that of its imaginable implications for the Aegean.

Television web A Haber said the authorities aims to make “a strong ineligible model against Greece’s steps regarding marine parks and sportfishing prohibition zones successful the Aegean.” Analysts cited successful the reports said the powers granted to Erdogan could let Ankara to state biology extortion oregon sportfishing regularisation zones extracurricular territorial waters if Athens proceeds with further biology measures.

The authorities has besides fueled treatment successful Turkey implicit the “gray zones” theory, which disputes Greek sovereignty implicit definite islands and islets successful the Aegean. Some Turkish media outlets suggested the measure could let Turkey to rise its emblem connected 152 islands whose sovereignty they picture arsenic undefined, though some Turkish officials unofficially dismissed such scenarios.

Athens is awaiting the bill’s last signifier earlier responding formally. Greek officials stay peculiarly acrophobic astir the undefined scope of the projected “special status” powers and their imaginable transportation to the “gray zones” issue.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou stressed that Greece would support its interests. She besides distinguished betwixt “claims and rights,” while describing Turkey’s broader strategy arsenic an effort to task power beyond its contiguous geographic boundaries.