Turkish Survey Ship Sets Sail in the Mediterranean, Ruffling Feathers
Turkey has begun oil detection efforts in the Mediterranean in the hopes of fueling their energy economy. (Pikist)
A Turkish survey ship reached its destination in the eastern Mediterranean on October 14, and soon it will carry out tests and seismic readings. Greece condemned the ship’s activities, claiming sovereignty over the potentially oil-rich waters.
Accompanied by several Turkish military ships, the research vessel hopes to detect oil and gas off the coasts of Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. While Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic rights to the waters, Turkey disputes their ownership, claiming that Athens has an unfair share of economic rights in the Mediterranean.
Turkey originally planned to survey the waters near the Greek island of Kastellorizo in early September. However, Ankara postponed the expedition to “allow room for diplomacy” ahead of an EU meeting. The EU discussed imposing sanctions on Turkey for its actions in the disputed waters between EU member states Greece and Cyprus.
Though Turkey sits in the oil-rich Eurasian crossroads between the Middle East and Russia, it has comparatively very little natural gas. Turkey's reserves equal around 0.5 percent of Russia’s reserves, 0.7 percent of Iran’s, and 1 percent of Qatar’s. Ankara aspires to be a larger supplier of energy than Russia, and accessing the Mediterranean may allow this ambition to become reality.
The EU has threatened sanctions against Turkey for its “illegal drilling and research in waters claimed by Cyprus and Greece,” and other parties have also condemned Turkey for its actions. The United States accused Turkey of deliberately stoking tension between the two countries. In response, a spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared that Greece and Cyprus had “escalate[d] tensions in the Aegean and the Mediterranean,” not Turkey.
The conflict may have deeper roots in the territorial dispute presently dividing the island of Cyprus. Historically, Turkey has accused Greece of persecuting Turkish Cypriots. With regard to the dispute over eastern Mediterranean economic rights, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “We have shown them that no plan disregarding Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots has a chance to be recognized.”
While the two issues of natural gas and Cyprus do not ostensibly relate to one another, experts agree that Turkey could resort to an aggressive Mediterranean maritime policy to spur leverage in negotiations on the Cyprus issue.