The Washington Post published an article about the escalation of tensions over gas fields in the Mediterranean, saying that the dispute between Turkey, on the one hand, Cyprus, Greece, Israel and Egypt on the other hand, over economic rights in the eastern Mediterranean, is the core of tensions.

The article - written by Silcan Hakoglu and Paul Tughuel - explained that the discovery over the past decade of major natural gas fields located under the eastern Mediterranean has prompted the often divided countries to work together to exploit reserves while excluding Turkey, which maintains an active naval force in the region.

The last conflict

The article reviewed what it called the escalation of tensions after Turkey resumed drilling in a disputed area with Cyprus, naval maneuvers in disputed sea waters with Greece, and the breakdown of negotiations mediated by Germany when Athens announced an agreement to demarcate the maritime border with Egypt on the sixth of this month following an agreement. Similarly, between Turkey and Libya last December, in addition to the announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron on the 12th of this month that France is temporarily strengthening its military presence in the region in response to Turkish steps.

Turkey and Libya signed an agreement to demarcate the maritime borders between them last December (Anadolu Agency)

The article added that in January 2019, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt, along with their neighbors Greece, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Italy, established the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, in an attempt to create a regional gas market and an export center for Europe, which is eager to diversify its sources to protect against supply disruptions from Russia, and this cooperation is something Partly necessary because pipelines are essential to connect producers and consumers.

In January 2020, Greece, Israel and Cyprus signed an agreement to build a 1,900 km undersea pipeline called EastMed, to connect gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean to European markets via Greece and Italy.

Why was Turkey excluded?

Turkey was excluded from this cooperation due to the inclusion of the Republic of Cyprus, which is not recognized by Turkey.

Turkish officials oppose the Republic of Cyprus' exploitation of gas resources without an agreement to share the revenues with the Turkish Cypriots, and moreover they say that no energy project in the region has a chance to survive without Turkey's participation, and they argue that the shortest route for a gas pipeline from the region to Europe would be from the north. Cyprus via Turkey.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in January that EastMed "does not pose a threat to anyone," while the European Union is considering imposing sanctions on Turkey over what it considers unilateral action near Cyprus and Greece.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that Turkey was open to resolving disputes through dialogue, while Greece and Cyprus issued similar statements.

Maritime boundary agreements

Turkey has deployed modern drilling vessels to search for gas in the region in which Greece and Cyprus claim drilling rights, and Cyprus has an agreement with Eni and Total, France, as well as with Exxon Mobil Corp. ) To explore for oil and gas there.

The deal, which Turkey and Libya agreed to in December, identified a line of 18.6 nautical miles that would form the maritime boundary separating their two economic regions.

Erdogan said the agreement would allow joint exploration activities, but Greece, Cyprus and Egypt view the deal as a Turkish attempt to dominate the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece says that the Turkish-Libyan agreement ignores the rights of the Greek islands to have exclusive economic zones, and that this may affect the planned EastMed pipeline.

Greek officials say the new maritime border agreement with Egypt is based on international law and nullifies the Turkish-Libyan agreement.