Greece Tells Turkey: Codifying 'Blue Homeland' Claims Into Law Will Doom Aegean Détente

Greece has formally communicated its alarm to Turkey implicit reports that Ankara is drafting authorities to enshrine its expansive "Blue Homeland" maritime doctrine successful home law, informing the determination would shatter a fragile play of calm betwixt the 2 NATO neighbors.

Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, speaking astatine an vigor acme successful Athens, issued the government's sharpest nationalist rebuke yet.

"Any unilateral enactment seeking to instrumentality a country's intentions is doomed to fail," Mr. Gerapetritis said, adding that measures which should beryllium negotiated bilaterally oregon done planetary instrumentality transportation "only home validity and nary planetary application."

Turkey's "Blue Homeland" doctrine asserts sweeping maritime claims implicit ample swaths of the Aegean and eastbound Mediterranean, straight contesting Greek sovereignty implicit its continental support and Exclusive Economic Zone.

Mr. Gerapetritis stressed that though Turkey has not ratified the UN Convention connected the Law of the Sea, its provisions represent binding customary planetary law.

Mr. Gerapetritis pointed to tangible caller gains — reduced airspace violations and a diminution successful amerciable migration crossings — arsenic grounds of what is astatine stake. "It would beryllium an implicit discarded to person a setback," helium said.

Athens, helium said, is preparing responses for "all imaginable scenarios" and retains entree to aggregate diplomatic forums — including the European Union and the United Nations — to contention immoderate Turkish measures.

The demarcation of maritime zones, Mr. Gerapetritis added, remains the cardinal contented that indispensable yet beryllium resolved.