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
Also in this section
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
13 April 2026
For GCC producers, the ceasefire may prove more destabilising than the war itself: exports remain constrained, and control over Hormuz has shifted in ways that could endure
9 April 2026
The April 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
