Turkish resentment sours East Med gas mood

A municipal election setback for Turkey’s governing party could trigger a more aggressive energy policy towards Cyprus

Turkey feels increasingly like an outsider on the East Mediterranean natural gas scene and is not happy about it. And a surprise threat to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's grip on power may encourage him to do more about it to distract from the domestic agenda. Several developments have contributed to Turkey's mood. Firstly, Ankara insists that the Republic of Cyprus has no right to explore for or develop offshore hydrocarbon resources while the island remains divided and the Turkish Cypriot community in the north is excluded from the process. Moreover, Turkey does not recognise Cyprus' economic exclusion zone (EEZ), in part because it claims that the EEZ infringes part of Turkey's continent