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.
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.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called Biden’s meeting with Turkish Cypriot President Dervis Eroglu a “historic step,” providing ample encouragement for a fair and just settlement of the Cyprus issue. “Biden’s message, which demonstrates an equidistant approach to the parties, is positive, according to us,” Davutoglu said May 23.
To what extent will the discovery of gas in the Eastern Mediterranean play a role in progress on the Cyprus problem, or on efforts toward a Turkish-Israeli reconciliation? After all, Israel’s Leviathan and Tamar offshore natural gas fields are greater in amount and depth than Cyprus’ Aphrodite and Block 12 reserves.
