Under the title: "Why Turkey cannot tolerate an increase in the territorial waters of Greece", the retired admiral and "theoretician" of the "Blue Homeland", Cihat Yaycı, defended the Turkish "Casus Belli" if Greece exercises its legal right from International Law and the Law of the Sea.
With his article on the TV100 website he directed his shots against those who argue that Greece has the right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, recalling the 1995 decision of the Turkish National Assembly.
"It is clear that this is not a 'Casus Belli', a decision or a declaration of war under Article 92 of the Constitution, but it is a statement that Turkey will use whatever means of national power and will fight, if necessary," warned the former chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Naval Force.
Yaycı argued that even if Ankara claims the 176 "grey" - according to the Turkish narrative - islands and islets in the Aegean, a possible increase in territorial waters to 12 n.m. from Greece, will result in: "the proportion of offshore areas in the "Sea of Islands" (Note: Aegean Sea) will decrease to approximately 19%. The territorial waters of Turkey will increase by 8.7% and Greece by 62%".
Yaycı emphasises that if Greek sovereignty over the 172 islands and islets is accepted by Ankara, despite being internationally recognised all over the world, the percentage of coverage of Greece's territorial waters will increase to 68% in the entire Aegean.
The situation will become "even more dire for the Turkey ", as he says, since the "Sea of Islands" will turn into a Greek sea.
"In such a case, the territorial integrity of Turkey will be disturbed. Approximately 90% of the continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone of the islands will belong to Greece, which will drastically limit or even cancel Turkey's economic activities, such as the extraction and exploitation of natural resources from the "Sea of Islands", as well as fishing, tourism and scientific research," he noted.
"The possible extension of territorial waters to 12 n.m. will consolidate Greece's absolute sovereignty in the 'Sea of Islands' by solving all the problems in its favour, especially the continental shelf, the EEZ and the airspace," said the retired admiral.
Regarding the possibility of the extension of Greek territorial waters south of Crete, Yaycı said that if it goes ahead it will result in the sea crossings from the Aegean to the Mediterranean being "closed, creating serious problems" in the national cause and the sovereign rights of Turkey, especially in the matter of the 'Blue Homeland''," he said.
The "Blue Homeland" theoretician requested that there be no concession to Greece's legal right to expand its territorial waters, either in the Aegean Sea or south of Crete.
"For every 1 nm increase in its territorial waters, Greece will usurp at least 13% of Turkey's 'Blue Homeland' in the 'Sea of Islands'. There is no difference between giving 13% of Anatolia (Note the mainland) and 13% of the ''Blue Homeland''," said Yaycı in his article on TV100.
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