The discovery of offshore gas in the eastern Mediterranean basin has undoubtedly

become part of economic stakes in the region, stirring local, regional and

international envy, and further complicating an already complex geopolitical map.

Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Syria and Lebanon each defend their gas potential in the

Mediterranean, fueling an existing competition, if not a clear animosity, between

riparian countries of the same hydrocarbon‐rich area. For various players, including

international companies that might be interested in the economic potential of

Mediterranean gas, regional tension in general and territorial conflicts in some

cases, pose much uncertainty on the exploitation of gas fields...continue reading