Turkey, Cyprus: Rising Energy Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean

Tensions have been increasing in the eastern Mediterranean over an energy exploration project initiated by the government of Cyprus, which controls the southwestern part of the island. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognized by any country other than Turkey and hosts Turkish military forces in the island's northeast, has protested that the island's sovereignty issues must be resolved before Cyprus proceeds unilaterally with energy development. Both Cyprus and Turkey see an opportunity in pushing the dispute right now, but Turkey's options in the confrontation are limited, and the real challenge will come if Cyprus insists on proceeding from exploration to actual energy production.