Will diplomacy ease East Mediterranean dispute?
Tensions reignite as Ankara sends exploration vessel back to waters claimed by Greece, Cyprus.
Turkey’s renewed seismic survey in the Eastern Mediterranean is reigniting tensions with Greece.
Both NATO members claim the right to drill the same areas. Athens considers the redeployment of Turkey’s vessel the Oruc Reis in disputed waters a significant escalation.
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Ankara insists the operations are within its continental shelf and it is responding to provocations by Athens.
But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Greece and Cyprus have failed to fulfil their “promises”.
Another dispute is between Lebanon and Israel. They have started their first round of indirect talks on gas exploration rights.
So, can these disputes be contained?
Presented: Dareen Abughaida
Guests:
Matthew Bryza – senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, former US diplomat who worked on the Greece, Cyprus and Turkey issues at the State Department
James Ker-Lindsay – visiting professor at the London School of Economics, researching Greece-Turkey relations and the Cyprus conflict
Andreas Theophanous – president of Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs and former economic adviser to the president of Cyprus