• Greek warships take part in military exercises in Eastern Mediterranean sea, as tensions rise with Turkey over the waters. Greek Defense Ministry/AP
    Greek warships take part in military exercises in Eastern Mediterranean sea, as tensions rise with Turkey over the waters. Greek Defense Ministry/AP
  • The Greek air force joined the exercises. Greek Defense Ministry/AP
    The Greek air force joined the exercises. Greek Defense Ministry/AP
  • The Tonnerre is escorted by Greek and French military vessels. Greek National Defence/AP)
    The Tonnerre is escorted by Greek and French military vessels. Greek National Defence/AP)
  • The French Tonnerre helicopter carrier, rear left, is escorted by Greek and French military vessels during a maritime exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greek and Turkish warships are also closely shadowing each other. (Greek National Defence/AP)
    The French Tonnerre helicopter carrier, rear left, is escorted by Greek and French military vessels during a maritime exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greek and Turkish warships are also closely shadowing each other. (Greek National Defence/AP)
  • The Turkish seismic research vessel 'Oruc Reis' heading west of Antalya in the Mediterranean Sea. Turkish Defence Ministry/AFP
    The Turkish seismic research vessel 'Oruc Reis' heading west of Antalya in the Mediterranean Sea. Turkish Defence Ministry/AFP
  • Tension are high between Greece and Turkey, over the 'Oruc-Reis' and its mission in the eastern Mediterranean. IHA via AP
    Tension are high between Greece and Turkey, over the 'Oruc-Reis' and its mission in the eastern Mediterranean. IHA via AP
  • Turkey’s claims to the waters, which it says are on its continental shelf, have repeatedly been dismissed as illegal by Greece and its allies. Turkish Defence Ministry/AFP
    Turkey’s claims to the waters, which it says are on its continental shelf, have repeatedly been dismissed as illegal by Greece and its allies. Turkish Defence Ministry/AFP
  • Turkish ships accompany the 'Oruc Reis,' a seismic research vessel. Turkish Defence Ministry/AFP
    Turkish ships accompany the 'Oruc Reis,' a seismic research vessel. Turkish Defence Ministry/AFP
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for dialogue while still pushing ahead with a Mediterranean gas development plan that has outraged Greece. AFP
    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for dialogue while still pushing ahead with a Mediterranean gas development plan that has outraged Greece. AFP
  • Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of the potential for a mishap with Greek and Turkish navies both in the area.. EPA
    Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of the potential for a mishap with Greek and Turkish navies both in the area.. EPA
  • France will strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean. Reuters
    France will strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean. Reuters

Blue Homeland: the doctrine behind Turkey's Mediterranean claims


  • English
  • Arabic

Turkey’s expansionist energy policy in the Eastern Mediterranean is underpinned by a maritime doctrine that has raised the spectre of naval confrontation with Nato allies Greece and France.

The Blue Homeland, or Mavi Vatan, philosophy supports Turkey’s search for gas reserves across a swathe of the Mediterranean and has seen warships head to the region this week.

Developed in 2006 by Admiral Cem Gurdeniz, who was then head of Turkish naval planning, the strategy has been interpreted as the maritime component of Ankara’s drive for greater independence in its dealings with the world.

“Turkey’s defence policy had always been based on our staunch support for the Atlantic bloc,” said Adm Gurdeniz. “It was based on whatever Nato decided but this meant we didn’t develop our own strategies. After the Cold War, Turkey wanted to create a new geopolitical situation because the world wasn’t black and white anymore, it was a Picasso painting.”

The high command veteran was among hundreds of military officers prosecuted in the "Sledgehammer" trials of 2012 and subsequently released as the prosecutions were quashed by higher courts.

He now regularly appears on state television championing the policy he devised almost 15 years ago.  “What we are seeing now is the biggest expression of the Blue Homeland theory because it is the first time Turkey as a state is exerting its rights on its continental shelf.”

Map shows competing maritime borders according to agreements made by Athens and Cairo, Tripoli and Ankara
Map shows competing maritime borders according to agreements made by Athens and Cairo, Tripoli and Ankara

The latest confrontation was sparked when Turkey sent the Oruc Reis research vessel, escorted by warships, into a region between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete to explore for gas – an area Greece claims as part of its continental shelf and maritime economic zone.

While Ankara disputes Greek claims, the stand-off has seen the Greek navy, supported by French warships, shadowing the Turkish exploration mission.

“I’m concerned about a possible skirmish because when you have so many naval assets in a narrow area, you could end up with a very unpleasant situation between allies,” former Turkish ambassador Mithat Rende said.

“Nato should be more active in trying to defuse the situation and avoiding an accident that could lead to an undesired conflict which would destroy Nato.”

On Friday, EU foreign ministers were due to meet in an emergency session amid the threat of sanctions against Ankara.

The discovery of natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean has seen historic rivals Turkey and Greece assert competing claims.

Both have struck maritime deals to reinforce their ambitions over parts of the Mediterranean basin – Turkey with Libya’s Tripoli-based government and Greece with Egypt.

In addition, there are the claims of the internationally-recognised Greek government of Cyprus. Turkey argues it is defending not just its own energy rights but also those of Turkish Cypriots, whose government is acknowledged by Ankara alone.

Felicity G Attard, an international maritime law specialist at the University of Malta, said maritime territory “cannot be based on a unilaterally imposed boundary, but must be established in an agreement and should represent an equitable solution.”

Economic zones can also be claimed by islands, making the dispute “extremely difficult, particularly because of the location of the islands and the longstanding rivalry between the two states,” she said. Disagreement over Cyprus “further complicated” the issue.

Mr Rende said Turkey’s position was that the Greek Cypriot administration “does not represent in law or fact Turkish Cypriots or the island as a whole and it follows that they’re not entitled to conclude any agreement on behalf of Turkish Cypriots.”

Turkish complaints also focus on the Greek island of Kastellorizo, known as Meis in Turkish, which lies just 2 kilometres off Turkey’s southern coast.

“Greece claims 40,000 square kilometres of maritime jurisdiction area due to this tiny island,” tweeted Cagatay Erciyes, a senior Turkish foreign ministry official.

Turkey has sought a dramatic expansion of its blue water naval presence and has been linked to planned naval bases in northern Cyprus and Libya. Plans for a base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast were only abandoned with the change of regime in the country last year.

Michael Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, said the discovery of gas had seen the Eastern Mediterranean emerge as a “nexus of international flashpoints”.

Turkey’s efforts to extend its influence in Africa and the Red Sea region brought it into conflict with both France and Egypt, he added.

Blue Homeland reflects official frustration at the situation under international law and a growing internal belief that foreign powers are happy to “imprison” Turkey with an unfair settlement, according to Adm Gurdeniz.

“Overall, we’re talking about 150,000 square kilometres of Turkey’s continental shelf being stolen," he said. “Turkey’s new geopolitical realities are changing and our friends and allies should understand this. We have to find a middle way.”

Match info:

Burnley 0

Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')

Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)

Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)

%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Directed by: Shaka King

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons

Four stars

So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

Infobox

Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August

Results

UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets

Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets

Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets

Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs

Monday fixtures

UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain

Ahmed Raza

UAE cricket captain

Age: 31

Born: Sharjah

Role: Left-arm spinner

One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95

T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28

Where to submit a sample

Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain

 

 

Her most famous song

Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?

Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.

Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

MATCH INFO

Quarter-finals

Saturday (all times UAE)

England v Australia, 11.15am 
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm

Sunday

Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm

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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel