Erdogan defends ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine amid internal criticism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended the country's "Blue Homeland" doctrine in the wake of criticism from opposition lawmaker Namik Tan. 

Tan, a former Turkish ambassador to the United States, labeled the strategy as "expansionist" and dismissed it as a "fairy tale" during a parliamentary speech on Sunday. His comments, which also criticized Turkey's actions in Somalia as "expansionist politics," sparked backlash from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and his own Republican People's Party (CHP).

The "Blue Homeland" aims to expand Turkish influence over large areas of the Mediterranean and other seas, potentially impacting neighboring countries like Greece and Somalia.

In a speech to AKP provincial leaders on Tuesdsay, Erdogan condemned Tan's remarks. "From our drilling operations in the Eastern Mediterranean to our balanced...