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Tag Archives: Turkey

Natural gas, corridors, and security: Why Turkey wants Egypt in the Mecca Pact

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (5th L), Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C) and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (5th R) pose for a family photo after signing a trilateral joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on August 7, 2026. [TUR Presidency /Murat Cetinmuhurdar – Anadolu Agency]

The Eastern Mediterranean’s importance is often measured by its gas discoveries, but reserves acquire strategic value only when they can reach consumers. Egypt’s Zohr, Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan, and Cyprus’s Aphrodite, Glaucus and Cronos have given the basin a substantial resource base. Yet Egypt occupies the pivotal position because its Idku …

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Is the United Arab Emirates’ Iran Trade Freeze Economic Shock or Strategic Pivot?

Workers load a ship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Shutterstock

Enforcement Will Test Abu Dhabi’s Appetite to Absorb Domestic Costs While Pressuring Tehran On August 19, 2026, the United Arab Emirates announced it had stopped “all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions” with Iran “until further notice.” But the Foreign Ministry did not cite a new statute, cabinet resolution, sanctions list or …

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NATO 3.0 and energy security: Rebalancing transatlantic defence in Ankara

A view of the ATO Congresium international convention and exhibition center, where a part of 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit will be held in Ankara, Turkiye, on July 07, 2026. [Akın Çeliktaş – Anadolu Agency]

The 2026 NATO Summit opens today, 7th July, in Ankara, at a critical moment for the Alliance as Russia’s war in Ukraine, pressure on European defense systems, and the U.S. strategic pivot toward the Indo-Pacific intensify debates over transatlantic burden-sharing. The emerging “NATO 3.0” framework would shift greater responsibility for conventional defense, …

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ConocoPhillips and the Remaking of Syria’s Energy Industry

The company logo on the world headquarters of ConocoPhillips in Houston, Texas.Shutterstock

The Company Carries Influence Since It Would Bring a U.S. Major Into a Sector That Washington Has Viewed as Off-Limits ConocoPhillips’s reported plan to sign a contract with Syria’s transitional government would be a significant step in Syria’s return to international energy markets. If finalized, this deal would make ConocoPhillips the …

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France’s Eastern Mediterranean energy strategy: Between commercial pragmatism and geopolitical ambition

The headquarters of French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company TotalEnergies is seen in La Defense, the business district, west of Paris, France on August 13, 2025. [Mustafa Yalçın – Anadolu Agency]

France has emerged as a significant actor in the Eastern Mediterranean energy landscape, combining commercial interests, geopolitical ambition, and European energy security priorities. Its approach rests on three pillars: support for French corporate activity, especially through TotalEnergies; strategic alignment with Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel; and efforts to counterbalance Turkey’s growing assertiveness …

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