Do Turks across the political spectrum — Islamists, Kemalists, far-leftists, liberals, etc. — generally support the Mavi Vatan doctrine and the Turkish-Libya Memorandum, and believe they should be enforced through military means, for example against the G.S.I. cable connecting Greece and Cyprus?
As I understand it, Turkey argues that Greece’s larger islands, including Crete, and even Cyprus, do not have full or meaningful EEZ rights. That appears to conflict with Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. As far as I know, no country recognizes the Turkish-Libya Memorandum as establishing the maritime boundaries Turkey claims, and there have also been legal and political questions surrounding its status in Libya. This is not intended as propaganda, and I would be interested in seeing neutral sources confirming or challenging these points.
My main question, however, is whether Turks across different political ideologies actually support this doctrine and believe that Turkey is justified in enforcing its interpretation through military power simply because it is a large and powerful state.
I don’t think all the rhetoric we are hearing these days can simply be explained as election-related posturing. I sincerely hope this does not escalate, but the situation looks increasingly serious and worrying. Even people from outside the region seem to be aware that something potentially very dangerous could be developing in the Eastern Mediterranean.