Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” Law Delayed to October. Here’s Why.
Turkey's ruling AKP party has delayed a vote on its controversial "Blue Homeland" doctrine law until October, with the shift attributed officially to bureaucratic reasons. But according to Skai's Manolis Kostidis, Ankara also took note of sharp signals from Athens in recent days, and does not want the upcoming NATO summit to take place under a cloud of fresh tension with Greece.
The Blue Homeland doctrine is Turkey's sweeping maritime territorial claim across the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, covering waters Greece and Cyprus consider their own sovereign zones. Codifying it into law would have marked a significant escalation.
"The leader the world has been waiting for centuries" — Erdogan on Trump, per Ozel, in a post that stayed up six hours before Turkey begged for its deletion.
At the same time, Turkish media, led by CNN Türk, are running reports claiming that U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle held a "critical meeting" with Greek authorities during her recent visit to Alexandroupolis. The Turkish network claims the talks explored the possibility of a permanent U.S. military base in Alexandroupolis, comparable to the existing Souda Bay facility in Crete, and that the relocation of some American forces from Souda to Alexandroupolis was also discussed.
CNN Türk further claimed Guilfoyle inspected various sites and plots in the wider Alexandroupolis area as potential locations for a permanent U.S. and NATO installation. Neither the Greek nor the American side has confirmed those claims.
Separately, Turkey's main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel launched a fierce attack against President Erdogan, accusing him of making major concessions to the United States and Donald Trump in exchange for political legitimacy. Ozel alleged Erdogan has agreed to sell rare earth minerals, buy more expensive American natural gas, and purchase Boeing aircraft, all to secure Trump's backing.
Ozel also claimed that after a phone call between Trump and Erdogan, a post appeared on the U.S. president's official account quoting Erdogan as calling Trump "the leader the world has been waiting for centuries." According to Ozel, the post stayed up for roughly six hours before Turkey's side reportedly begged for it to be deleted, as it was causing domestic political damage.
