Turkey prepares draft law to claim "Blue Homeland" over Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean

Turkey’s administration is in the final stage of preparing a legislative framework titled “Blue Homeland” that will outline the country’s maritime claims on all seas bordering its coasts. The draft, slated for completion in November and to be presented to the Turkish Grand National Assembly before the end of the year, will set the extent of Turkish territorial waters at six nautical miles in the Aegean and twelve nautical miles in the Black Sea and Mediterranean.

It will also stipulate that any economic, scientific or environmental activity inside Turkey’s exclusive economic zone must obtain a permit from Ankara, extending to activities on the seabed and subsoil. Additional clauses are expected to address the legal definition of islands, which domestic discourse labels “gray zones,” and to reference the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The bill aims to formalise Turkey’s maritime strategy amid ongoing regional disputes.