World
January 6, 2025 15:28
turkey, greece, cyprus, black sea, aegean sea, mediterranean sea - Turkey showcases its military strength for ten days with a massive exercise involving naval, land, and air forces in three seas. Greek media view it as a provocation, raising tensions between the two countries.
Turkey displays its military prowess through a ten-day exercise named Exercise Blue Homeland 2025. The exercise, involving naval, land, and air forces, aims to test defense capabilities across three seas simultaneously. The Turkish navy conducts such large-scale exercises every three years.
The TCG Oruçreis frigate will participate in the exercise, which aims to assess the ability to operate massively in the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Turkish army and air force will provide support.
The exercise will include surface bombardment and air defense drills, torpedo launches by submarines, missile firings, water bombs, and rocket launches. Electronic warfare training and simulation exercises will also be carried out in the region.
Greece closely monitors the military exercises near its borders and heightens its naval readiness in response. Greek media describe Turkey's actions as provocative, with headlines highlighting the scale of the naval exercise.
The Blue Homeland doctrine, centered on Turkey's maritime territorial claims, stems from disputes with Greece and Cyprus, particularly regarding gas reserves in the Mediterranean. The doctrine is based on Turkey's perspective of international law, challenging illegal annexations of islands by Greece post-1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
The doctrine was initially proposed by former Turkish admiral Cem Gürdeniz and further developed by ex-naval chief Cihat Yayci, rejecting claims of imperialism and emphasizing adherence to international law. Turkey's enthusiasm for the doctrine is evident in the naming of the military exercises, causing tensions with Greece.
Both Turkey and Greece have been NATO members since 1952. Tensions peaked in 1974 following Turkey's military intervention in Cyprus after a failed Greek coup. Turkish troops have remained stationed in the island's north since then.