Cypriot MEP Loukas Fourlas called on Wednesday for the European Union to abandon what he described as a policy of equidistance towards Turkey, after Ankara confirmed work on draft legislation linked to the ‘Blue Homeland’ (Mavi Vatan) maritime doctrine.

In letters addressed to European Council president, Antonio Costa, European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola, Fourlas said Turkey was attempting to “institutionalise illegality and expansionist policy” by incorporating the doctrine into domestic law.

The intervention followed a recent conference in Ankara, where Turkish officials and academics confirmed the existence of a draft bill concerning maritime jurisdiction and “bodies of water with special status”.

According to Turkish officials, the proposed legislation would define maritime jurisdictions and establish the legal basis for activities within those zones.

Professor Cagri Erhan, acting chair of the Turkish presidency’s board of security and foreign policies, said the bill stemmed from efforts to preserve “the rights and interests of the Turkish nation” under international law.

Turkish maritime law centre director, Mustafa Baskara, said the legislation aligned with Turkey’s maritime policies in the Black Sea, eastern Mediterranean and waters surrounding the north of Cyprus and Libya.

“For us, the Blue Homeland is wherever a ship flying the Turkish flag reaches,” he remarked.

The ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine, developed by former Turkish naval officers, sets out Ankara’s claims over maritime zones in the Levant, Aegean and Black Sea.

The doctrine has been strongly opposed by both Cyprus and Greece, which argue that Turkish claims violate international maritime law and the sovereign rights of neighbouring states.

In his letter, Fourlas said Ankara was attempting to transform “arbitrary claims into alleged state legitimacy”, while disregarding international law, the law of the sea and “the European legal order itself”.

He also referred to recent incidents inside the buffer zone in Cyprus and accused Turkey of attempting to create “new faits accomplis” through pressure and intimidation.

“The harassment of farmers, the violations and threats against citizens, constitute unacceptable actions that violate every concept of international legality,” he wrote, adding that Turkey was “consciously choosing tension and destabilisation”.

Fourlas warned that continued European tolerance towards Ankara risked undermining the EU’s credibility.

“A candidate state for accession cannot violate the sovereign rights of member states without consequences,” he said.

The intervention came amid renewed tensions in the Aegean after a Turkish warship reportedly harassed the cable laying vessel Ocean Link between Kos and Astypalaia earlier on Wednesday.

Greek media reported that the Turkish vessel claimed the area fell under Turkish jurisdiction and ordered the ship to leave.

The Greek frigate Adrias, which was operating nearby, intervened and informed the Turkish vessel that the ship was operating within Greek jurisdiction, allowing the work to continue.

The Ocean Link had been conducting underwater surveys and cable laying operations linked to the SEA-SPINE telecommunications project after receiving permits from Greek authorities.

Turkish officials in Ankara insisted the proposed maritime legislation was not directed against any specific country.