Before 7 October, de-escalation of tensions was the order of the day in the Eastern Mediterranean, mirroring a region-wide trend in the Middle East.
Turkey was mending ties with Israel and Egypt, in order to decouple these states from Greece in its dispute with Ankara in the Eastern Mediterranean. Indeed, the growing convergence and cooperation in energy and security matters between Greece, Israel, and Arab states in the Eastern Mediterranean, which institutionally took the form of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Forum, have been a major concern for Turkey over the last decade.
However, recent months have seen a marked reduction in tension between Ankara and Athens. These two contradictory trends – the Israel–Palestine conflict and thaw in Greece–Turkey relations – are likely to have a major impact on the security of the region, and on cooperation and competition between major players there.
This session examines:
- What does de-escalation between Greece and Turkey mean for the resolution of the Eastern Mediterranean crisis?
- How will the Gaza war affect the nature of relations between Turkey and Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean?
- What are the likely scenarios for relations between Turkey and the Cairo-based Eastern Mediterranean Energy Forum?
- How does the war affect regional energy and security cooperation between Arab states, Greece and in the region?
- How do the war and the de-escalation between Athens and Ankara affect the interaction between Turkey and Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean?
This event is organized by Chatham House’s Turkey Initiative, which provides in-depth analysis of the country’s domestic politics as well as its economic, foreign and security policy.
