Control over energy resources and transit routes has long been a source of rivalry and competition among major powers with interests in the Middle East, Caspian Sea basin and Central Asia. And since the early 2000s, a new “great game” of sorts has embroiled local and outside players in competition …
Read More »Is Turkey’s New Gas Discovery in the Black Sea a Game Changer?
In mid-August, Turkey officially announced the discovery of a massive, 320-billion-cubic-meter (bcm) natural gas field in the Black Sea, in an exploration zone called “Tuna-1” (TRT World, August 21). The news was met with some skepticism from energy experts, notably in the Middle East (Arab News, August 24). Yet, if …
Read More »The Future of Iranian Natural Gas Exports to Turkey
Reducing dependence on Iranian gas will increase Turkey’s bargaining power in gas transactions. In practice, Iranian gas will not play a significant role in Turkey’s policies, which means that it can be easily removed from them and sanctioned. The diversification of energy resources is a fundamental principle of Turkey’s energy …
Read More »Eastern Mediterranean Natural Gas Exploration Dispute
Disputes over right to explore gas in Eastern Mediterranean have become a very contentious issue during the last few years. Especially after Turkey in January 2020 signed maritime deal with the Tripoli- based Government of National Accord (GNA). Turkey signed the bilateral maritime deal with Libya in response to the …
Read More »Challenges Facing Iran in Natural Gas Exports During the Post-Coronavirus Era
The global gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) market is currently witnessing an increase in the number of new manufacturers and an increase in the geopolitical importance of this product. Given that the share of natural gas in a country’s energy portfolio will increase by 2040, countries with natural gas …
Read More »Turkey’s Focus on Africa: Energy Security, Political Influence and Economic Growth
Turkey, which has based its economic growth on export development and made significant strides in recent years (especially during the AKP administration) has taken a strategic approach to the African continent in search of new markets. Moreover, it is seeking to expand its political, economic and commercial presence on the …
Read More »Q&A: ‘Russia is not willing to reduce its share of the European gas market’
In an interview with TRT World, energy security analyst Omid Shokri Kalehsar touched upon several aspects of competing foreign policies in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Moscow would like to play a dominant role in the overall energy equation. The race for extracting energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean presents various …
Read More »The Geopolitics of the Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal
Discovering new sources of energy always creates the opportunity to increase regional cooperation and increase stability and security in a given region. However, at the same time, these resources can also increase tensions. In recent years, maritime resources have been the focus of both coastal states and trans-regional powers. Numerous …
Read More »Erdogan to Visit US: Is Turkey Still a US Ally?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (November 13) will arrive in Washington to hold talks with US President Donald Trump. Erdogan is heading to Washington, where Turkey-US relations have been at a critical juncture in recent years, and the two NATO allies have sometimes adopted conflicting policies toward regional crises that …
Read More »Saudi Nuclear Diplomacy and the Onset of Competition in the Region
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has had a comprehensive plan to reduce the share of oil in the economy, and it is seeking to increase the share of both renewable energy and natural gas in electricity production for export. It is also investing in high value-added products to reduce dependence …
Read More »