Over a decade of gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean raised hopes that “gas diplomacy” could dramatically reshape relations among countries in the basin – and even farther afield. The East Mediterranean Gas ForumThe parties involved in establishing the EU-backed East Mediterranean Gas Forum, which aims to enhance economic cooperation and regional integration through the region’s gas reserves, consider it a success story. Many actors in the eastern Mediterranean view Türkiye as a destabilising power seeking to increase its influence in several places, from the eastern Mediterranean to Libya and Palestine. Managing Expectations about Gas DiplomacyDiplomatic interventions by the U.S., the EU and EU member states around the eastern Mediterranean gas reserves came to be dubbed “gas diplomacy”. It is highly improbable that a significant volume of eastern Mediterranean gas will find its way to Europe, given the huge short-term demand that eastern Mediterranean supplies cannot satisfy and the accelerating transition to renewable energy sources.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 26, 2023 08:55 UTC