Skip to main content

Mediterranean gas not yet the answer for Turkey's ties with Israel, Cyprus

Michael Leigh of the German Marshall Fund argues the newly discovered hydrocarbon reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean are not agents of peace, but if a political settlement were achieved, both with Cyprus and Israel, these reserves could reinforce the peace with Turkey.
An officer points as he stands on a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas in the Mediterranean, some 10 km (6 miles) from the coastal Israeli city of Hadera January 22, 2014. Permanently anchored in the choppy waters of the eastern Mediterranean, the tanker Excellence is in a constant state of alert, waiting for the emergency phone call that Israel needs fuel. The gas, imported and stored in liquid form on the tanker, can be "regassified" and pumped through a special buoy into an underwater pipeline, provid

US Vice President Joe Biden, on his recent visit to Cyprus, showed the importance the White House is placing on finding alternate energy routes into Europe for the newly discovered deposits of hydrocarbon reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean in an attempt to loosen Europe’s dependence on Russia.

Biden’s May 21 arrival on Cyprus marked the most senior US official visit to the island in more than five decades.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.