Ankara extends its gas exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean amid Greek protests
Turkish gas exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean—originally set to end on August 23—will continue until today against the will of neighbouring Greece, which is at loggerheads with Ankara over conflicting maritime borders.
The recent tensions between the two states date back to 2015, when Italian energy company Eni initiated a plan to transfer Cypriot, Egyptian and Israeli gas to Europe via Egypt, excluding Turkey. The plan not only threatened Turkey’s goal of sidelining Russia and evolving into a regional energy hub, but did so by leveraging maritime borders that Ankara perceived as especially unfair.
In response, Turkey has signed a deal with its new ally—Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA)—to re-draw maritime borders in the Eastern Mediterranean; the deal serves to reject Greek claims and justify Turkish drilling. While the previous threats of regional isolation and EU sanctions had forced Ankara to temporarily soften its assertive maritime policy, the discovery of gas in the Black Sea has bolstered Turkey’s confidence by allowing it to become less reliant on Russian gas. Although a military stand-off is unlikely, Turkey will continue to make manoeuvres in the Eastern Mediterranean in the absence of an effective mediator.
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