Blue Homeland
In March 2019, we realized that the Blue Homeland concept was on the agenda of our mariners when the National Defense University Naval Academy published the magazine "Blue Homeland".[i]
The reflection of this on the field is that Turkey has taken decisive steps to protect its rights with research vessels, warships and drones in the Eastern Mediterranean region without compromising against the alliance formed by Greece, the GCASC, Egypt and Israel.
It is possible to find the meaning of the concept of Blue Homeland in the book "Libya is Turkey's neighbor to the sea" by Rear-Admiral Cihat Yaycı, Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces Command of the period, published by the Eurasian Strategic Studies Center (ASAM) in November 2019 under the subtitle “Turkey's Geopolitical Strategy Issue”. As can be seen from the title of his work, Rear-Admiral Yaycı pointed out that the obstacles that are wanted to be erected in the Eastern Mediterranean against Turkey can be solved in a single move, only as a result of the agreement to be signed with Libya to determine the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).[ii]
As a matter of fact, Turkey not only protected its interests in the Eastern Mediterranean by declaring and registering its Exclusive Economic Zones in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea[iv] of 1982, after signing the Memorandum on the Limitation of Maritime Jurisdiction with Libya[iii] on 27 November 2019 under the chairmanship of our President… We got back to our old glory days in Mediterranean.
Rear-Admiral Cihat Yaycı's work, which pointed to Libya as the key to this multidimensional struggle and included new tactics that Turkey could enact, contained important clues for people from all strata who pondered this issue.
In the conclusion part of his work, Yaycı primarily points out that Turkey should change the perspective on the map. In other words, by looking at the Mediterranean map in three dimensions, rather than two dimensions, the fact that Turkey's Marmaris-Fethiye-Kaş coastline is neighbors through the sea with Libya's Derna-Tobruk-Bardia coastline should be adopted by the Turkish public and told to the international community is the first stage in this struggle.
As a step after we change the way we look at the map, The Rear-Admiral Yaycı points out the importance of the decisions made by the International Court of Justice in the cases on the determination of the Libyan-Tunisian and Libyan-Maltese continental shelves for Turkey. The criteria used in determining maritime jurisdiction in these cases include elements sufficient to invalidate the policy that Greece and GCASC were trying to implement in the Eastern Mediterranean. Rear-Admiral Yaycı points out that with the agreement to be signed, most recently with the Government of National Accord in Libya on the limitation of maritime jurisdictions, points to the fact that it will become impossible for Greece to reach an EEZ agreement with the GCASC and Egypt.
As Turkey began to move in the way that Yaycı pointed out, global powers suddenly stopped dealing with Syria and concentrated their forces on Libya. Libyan Government of National Accord found mountebanks consisting of the UAE-Egypt-France-Libya-USA-Russia, who seemed unlikely to come together. Libya found Turkey on its side against this gang formed against the Government of National Accord.[v]
Aegean Dispute
Aegean Sea and the Islands is another issue that also usurped the rights of Turkey in the sea.[vi]
Those who know that Greece has been working on the Aegean for a long time since 1936, while Turkey remains passive for various reasons. We see that Greece follows the "Salam Strategy" in increasing its dominance in the Aegean and takes subsequent steps according to the action-reaction situation. This allows them to successfully run ENOSIS in the Aegean.[vii]
We can list our problems in the Aegean as follows; Territorial Waters, Exclusive Economic Zone, FIR Line, Armament of Islands, Islands of which sovereignty has not been transferred to Greece by Agreements, Continental Shelf, Search and Rescue Responsibility Areas…
His book titled "Greece Demands (Aegean Disputes) with Questions and Answers" published by the Turkish Historical Society made Yaycı the target of refugee terrorists of FETO in Greece.
In the work prepared in the Q&A format, the issue of sovereignty in the Aegean was discussed extensively, starting with the question "What is the importance of the Aegean Sea for Turkey?” The study, which explained the problems that have been on Turkey's agenda for many years, such as the armament of islands, the continental shelf, search and rescue responsibility areas, in a language that everyone can understand, also included arguments on how Greece's unlawful demands can be refuted in the face of international law.[viii]
FETOMETER
He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 2016 and was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces Command on 20 August 2017, after serving as the Head of Personnel Department of the Naval Forces Command. He focused on active duty and retired members of the Navy, as well as their first-degree relatives, with the criteria called FETOMETER, which he developed with his experience in the period of personnel department.[ix]
It is known that with the FETOMETER application, around 4500 soldiers and around 600 civilian fethullahists were identified.
Cihat Yaycı is a Pioneer with a Great Vision
When we look at the issues I have discussed briefly, we see that Cihat Yaycı has become a visionary pioneer with the issues such as FETOMETER, the vision of the solution to the Aegean Problem, the Blue Homeland Doctrine, the solution of the Eastern Mediterranean problem.
Based on the logic that such a pioneer should not be left without punishment, FETO, the local collaborator of global powers, first denigrated Admiral Yaycı and then managed to make the Admiral Yaycı discharged with the conspiracy.
The authorities and positions are temporary... The vision that paved the way out of the trap in which the ummah was dropped will always be appreciated. Those who could not manage to block Turkey, which came out of the Eastern Mediterranean trap with the vision of the Admiral Yaycı and the leadership of our President, think that they have finished Cihat Yaycı. Cihat Yaycı is a bite that FETO cannot swallow, a visionary value that is an important pioneer we have raised in the last period.
This vision and pioneer do not need an authority or position to serve. Even if his heart is broken or twisted, serving humanity is a duty which is waiting for the Admiral Yaycı.
REFERENCES
[i] https://www.msu.edu.tr/mavivatandanacikdenizleredergisi/mavivatan_baski.pdf , Mart 2019
[ii] https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/analiz/mavi-vatan-i-savunmak/1655862 , 26 Kasım 2019, Mehmet A. Kancı
[iii] https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-50682215 , 10 Aralık 2019
[iv] https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/analiz/turkiye-libya-anlasmasinin-hukuki-ve-stratejik-boyutlari/1668270 , 9 Aralık 2019, Prof Dr Mesut Hakkı Caşın
[v] https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-dunya-50976809 , 2 Ocak 2020
[vi] http://www.mfa.gov.tr/baslica-ege-denizi-sorunlari.tr.mfa
[vii] http://assam.org.tr/index.php/bolgeler/islam-ulkeleri/ortaasya/turkiye/biraz-da-ege.html , 20 Nisan 2020, Nejat Özden
[viii] https://www.ttk.gov.tr/guncel/yeni-yayin-yunanistan-talepleri-ege-sorunlari-soru-ve-cevaplarla/
[ix] https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/15-temmuz-darbe-girisimi/feto-metre-ile-kriptolar-desifre-ediliyor/1251818 , 11 Eylül 2018, Tanju Özkaya