OIL & GAS IS BEING DISCOVERED IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA. THIS HAS CAUSED A WAFT OF CONFLICT AMONGST THE NEIGHBOURING NATIONS & HAS ATTRACTED GLOBAL POWERS. HERE'S HOW..
Geopolitics is a game of diplomacy, intelligent maneuvering & heavy headedness. This can be clearly seen in the mediterranean region where Greece & cyprus have joined hands to isolate Turkey to fulfill their individual interests. Let me explain below:
KEY EVENTS
It all began when Italian giant Eni discovered a huge oil field in Zohr under Egypt's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in 2015. This discovery doubled Egypt's oil resources instantly & morphed Egypt from importer to exporter.
Another less controversial discovery was of the Levinthian oil field under Israel's EEZ.
NOTE; EEZ refers to the exclusive area from a nation's coast or habitable island within which a nation has the sole right to extract natural resources including oil & gas. As per UNCLOS, it stands at 200 to 350 nautical miles from the coast.\
In 2020, tensions between Turkey & Greece escalated when their warships collided in disputed waters at around 16 august.
The main issue is the conflicting EEZ of various countries.
CONFLICTING EEZ
This is what Turkey claims its EEZ is:
This is what greece & Cyprus claim their EEZ is:
Starkly different isn't it?
To make their claims official, Greece & Cyprus have signed an agreement regarding their EEZ whereas Turkey has signed a similar agreement with the UN recognized government of Libya.
ENTRY OF OUTSIDERS
France has vowed to protect Greece as it is a EU member. It has sent many naval vessels in the area to escort greek ships as well. This is because France has proposed a more pan-europe unity where all EU members protect each other's interests whether economic or geopolitical.
Egypt & Israel having economic interests intertwined with the Cyprus (through the gas pipeline shown in first map) have sided with Greece & Cyprus.
Italy & Spain have their respective oil companies in the region. they have already started drilling for the Egyptian & greek government. So they too have sided with Greece.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Turkey had ambitions of being a regional energy hub where all major pipelines would pass from its heartland. However their plans have failed stupendously as it is increasingly isolated in the region's energy development.
Turkey & Greece have been eternal rivals just like Azerbaijan& Armenia and India & Pakistan. So a conflict between them is not surprising.
The conflict has spilled over in Libya with Turkey supporting UN backed government (to protect its only ally) & Egypt & co have backed the general Haftar government.
USA is in a bit of a flux here. This is because both Greece & Turkey are NATO members. Lets see who it supports. My money is on Greece as it has the support of western allies like France and Turkey has not signed UNCLOS.
Turkey desperately needs more domestic oil as it imports 99% of it. it has found a site in the undisputed Black Sea. So it can expect some relief on ts foreign exchange in the medium to long term.
Major escalation can be stopped by intermediaries like EU leader Germany & US. Both of them have leverage at Ankara as well as Athens which can be utilized to bring peace.
I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THIS DISPUTE IN THE MOST SIMPLE & LUCID MANNER. HOPE YOU COULD UNDERSTAND IT. FOR ANY DOUBTS, COMMENT BELOW.
HAVE A GOOD DAY!
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