Turkey embarks on oil and gas exploration off the Libyan coast
Turkey is searching for oil off the coast of Libya under the agreement signed with the Tripoli Government a year ago. This was announced by the Ottoman energy minister, Faith Donmez, who. The politician assured this Friday that the country intends to activate the border agreement signed last year with the Libyan government, according to Reuters news agency.
The eastern Mediterranean has been a historical focus of tension due to its geopolitical importance. On the one hand, it is the gateway to the Red Sea through Egypt and, on the other, the entrance to Europe. Although the links between European countries and other countries in the south and east of the Mediterranean go back several centuries, the discovery of large gas deposits by Israel, Egypt and Lebanon in 2009 has increased uncertainty in the area. The natural gas reserves that have been found over the last decade have begun to be exploited by some of the countries in the region such as Egypt or Israel, which already use these fields for domestic consumption or to export gas to neighbouring countries.
During a ceremony held on Friday to mark the launch of the Turkish oil and gas drilling vessel Faith in the Black Sea, Donmez said Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) had applied for exploration permits in the eastern Mediterranean and would start operating in the areas under its licence once the process was completed.
"Under the agreement we reached with Libya we will be able to start our oil exploration operations there in three or four months," Donmez said. Turkey's new drill ship Kanuni would also go to the Mediterranean by the end of the year, he added. Donmez also reported that the drill ship Fatih would conduct its first operation in the Black Sea on July 15, the anniversary of a failed coup attempt in 2016. Friday also marked the anniversary of the Ottoman Empire's conquest of Istanbul in 1453.
Turkey claims that the agreement gives it the right to explore for oil and gas in an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between the south and northwest coasts of Libya. For Greece, Cyprus and the European Union, the claimed document is illegal. The Eurasian country is facing sanctions from the EU club for drilling in Cypriot territorial waters.
Ankara has not yet decided on the exact location where it will drill, but experts consulted by the Arab News newspaper have said they expect exploration activities to begin in Tripoli and the coastal city of Sirte in a very short time.
"Turkey is taking advantage of the tension in the eastern Mediterranean waters to put pressure on the other countries in the area. It wants to negotiate with them to improve its position," said Zenonas Tziarras, a researcher at the PRIO Centre in Cyprus. Mona Sukkariech, a political risk consultant and confused with Strategic Perspectives on the Middle East, assures that Erdogan is trying to consolidate a position of strength in the area. "Turkish operations on the Cypriot coast are being very aggressive, although the real interest is Libya. Erdogan wants to gain time to extract concessions from the rest of the countries and reaffirm his foreign policy," the analyst explains.
Disagreements over who has the right to exploit Mediterranean gas have increased tensions in this part of the world and made it difficult to resolve the Libyan conflict. The future of the area lies in the movements of Turkey and the decisions of military cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel, which have worked together in recent months to counter the Ottoman presence.
In spite of this, while Israel is lending Greece drones to reinforce the security of the nation's borders, the country presided over by Reuven Rivlin is considering rebuilding its diplomatic relations with the Eurasian nation. In early May, representatives of Greece and Israel signed an agreement for the supply of Heron I unmanned air systems configured for maritime surveillance missions.
The agreement covers three years of service, including the training of Greek operators. "Cooperation between Greece and Israel in terms of security is being strengthened," commented the head of the directorate for international cooperation in matters related to defence and brigadier general, Yair Kulas.
At the same time, the Israeli government is trying to re-establish diplomatic relations with Turkey by appointing ambassadors, an Israeli official told the Middle East Eye newspaper. Natural gas supplies in the eastern Mediterranean and Syria are two of the issues that could promote this collaboration. "The same Iranian proxy known as Hezbollah is challenging Turkey's soldiers in Idlib, and our soldiers in southern Syria. This is a matter of common interest, as well as energy," the same official told the aforementioned newspaper. In the same interview, the spokesman explained that Turkey maintains an ambassador to Greece despite increasing diplomatic tensions, similar to what is happening with the United Arab Emirates.
Relations between Turkey and Israel were frozen in 2010 after Israel's violent incursion into a Turkish aid ship called the Mavi Marmara, in which at least ten people were killed. The Mavi Marmara was part of the First Freedom Flotilla and was heading for Gaza when it was attacked by Tel Aviv. The bloody event led to the withdrawal of diplomatic envoys from both sides, dealing a serious blow to their bilateral relations. After several years of diplomatic absence, in 2016 both countries announced the "normalization" of their diplomatic relations.
