This paper aims to examine Turkey's sui generis energy role at the center of Eurasia in the 21 st century. With the start of using oil and natural gas in the industry and also elsewhere, drilling, processing and transporting these resources have become an important issue between demanders and suppliers. In Eurasia, although eastern part of the continent is rich in terms of oil and gas, western part of the continent lacks significant volume of hydrocarbons. In terms of energy security perspective, both producers and demanders prioritize the uninterrupted transportation of hydrocarbons. This situation necessitates the presence of transit countries. Nowadays, the new world order has been shaping in the perspective of regional instabilities. In addition, center of gravity of the continent has been changing. Turkey is at the center of these developments and continent as an energy corridor. Hence, the existing and projected oil and natural gas pipeline projects will be beneficial for either Turkey or energy supplier/demander countries.
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The such factors as being the Cyprus Island's strategic importance in terms of the Eastern Mediterranean, being two allies of Turkey and Greece having problems in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, the proximity of the region to the instable Middle East, the EU membership of Greek Cypriot Administration in the Cyprus Island, not part of the Europe as well as the indirect intervention of Brussels into the region necessitate for Turkey to make comprehensive analyses including military and energy security aspects. In terms of military security in the Eastern Mediterranean, Russia possessing air and naval bases in Syria and also intensifies these initiatives in other Eastern Mediterranean countries including Libya. In terms of energy security, even though Russia considers that the total Eastern Mediterranean natural gas reserves are very low when compared with its reserves, it involves into the energy exploration studies in the Eastern Mediterranean via Gazprom and Rosneft. Based on this framework, in this study, it will be examined the reflections of energy centered military developments in the Eastern Mediterranean geography in terms of Turkey and Russia.
The Eastern Mediterranean (EM) has endured significant geopolitical alterations in the last decade through the new oil and natural discoveries. The energy issues in the region present geostrategic inferences for the states to assure their economic, politic and geostrategic interests and also accelerate the rivalry among the surrounding states and external powers. In addition, new oil and natural sources discoveries have triggered and increased regional insecurity and instability. Turkey with her geopolitical position is one part of the rivalry in the context of the new geopolitics of the Mediterranean. As a rival, Turkey has struggled for and maintaining its economic and geopolitical interests. Moreover, Turkey aims to be a regional energy hub in the region as a transit route and by its growing gas market. Turkey has distinctly presented a pretentious foreign policy approach with multilateral diplomacy and military deterrence in the regional political debates. The article analyses Turkey’s geostrategic vision and its effects on Turkey’s Turkey’s foreign and energy security policies.
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