Turkey’s disproportionate ambitions

The "Blue Homeland" doctrine is the ultimate expression of overblown Turkish aspirations. It encapsulates maximalist claims that are in flagrant violation of the Law of the Sea, such as the ludicrous theory that islands are not entitled to a continental shelf and, therefore, that the Greek islands east of the 25th meridian are in areas under Turkey's maritime jurisdiction. In a similarly ludicrous manner, it disregards Cyprus' continental shelf on the eastern borders of Turkish claims.

The memorandum between Turkey and the Sarraj government in Tripoli - an agreement that is a component of same theory - is equally arbitrary in that its delimitation of maritime zones not only entirely wipes out Crete's continental shelf, but also draws lines to illustrate the relationship between the supposedly opposite coasts of Libya and southwestern Turkey that pass through a third country ...