Turkey’s Erdogan Renews East Med Escalation

Back to “Square One” in earlier 2020 on this persistent problem as tensions rise again in Eastern Mediterranean. The latest request to Turkey’s Energy Ministry for new licensing of explorations by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in the eastern Mediterranean, and in particular in the area between southern Turkey and Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, is seen as a substantial new escalation by Ankara and a bid to mount the pressure on the Republic of Cyprus. The area in question includes not only parts of the territorial waters of Turkey, but also a significant part of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off…