Turkey’s planned “Blue Homeland” legislation is now expected to be delayed until October, with Turkish sources attributing the postponement to technical and bureaucratic reasons rather than a policy shift.
According to well-informed sources, the bill defining Turkey’s maritime areas has not been included on the agenda of parliamentary committees for June.
Turkish journalists say that unless an unexpected move occurs, the legislation cannot be approved before the second week of October because Parliament will soon recess for the summer.
Analysts say the only scenario that could accelerate the bill’s consideration would be a decision by Ankara to raise tensions, something they believe the Turkish government does not currently want ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara that is expected to be attended by US President Donald Trump.
Observers also say Turkish officials closely examined measures that Athens has reportedly discussed in response to the legislation, including the declaration of marine parks in the eastern Aegean and an extension of territorial waters south of Crete.
