Turkey and the Competition in the Eastern Mediterranean 2019-2021

This study is an attempt to understand Turkish politics and its tools in dealing with the growing competition in the eastern Mediterranean as this region is of great strategic importance since it represents the link and meeting point of the maritime transport routes between the East and the West. However, this region has witnessed international competition and conflict for decades, represented by the Turkish-Greek dispute over the demarcation of the maritime borders of the two countries. In the last decade, the significance of the eastern Mediterranean has increased after the discovery of natural gas deposits in its waters. Turkey is considered one of the most prominent competing parties in the region. It has the longest coastline in the eastern Mediterranean. It also represents a regional power that has influential weight on the international scene especially after it adopted theories based on making Turkey a central and active country in its surroundings in addition to its need to own the energy resources it lacks and needs steadily. So Turkey has had its political and economic orientations towards the international competition in the Eastern Mediterranean.