Turkish Policy towards the Eastern Mediterranean: a Study in Opportunities and Challenges"

Abstract

The eastern Mediterranean has emerged more than before since 2010, driven by the large estimates of natural gas reserves in this region, and since this region constitutes a permanent point of conflict between the major powers overlooking it - notably Turkey and Greece - these natural resources have ignited tension In the region again, and brought to the fore many historical contracts that the victorious countries established in the First World War and related to sharing the legacy of the lost Ottoman Empire in that war, and these events prompted the Turkish decision-maker to try to establish its rights there according to a Turkish vision that serves its interests primarily . Turkey has many political, economic and military opportunities in this region, driven by its strategic importance, and its military superiority over most of the countries surrounding this region, in addition to an effective foreign policy and deep-rooted relations with many global powers, on the one hand; On the other hand, the magnitude of the challenges facing this region increases with the increasing influence of world powers and their aspiration for economic and strategic gains in the eastern Mediterranean, and this raises the level of the region's importance from regional to global importance.