Drilling rights and escalating tensions Tensions between Greece and Turkey over Eastern Mediterranean natural gas and oil fields, intertwined with maritime claims, have rapidly escalated in August 2020. On August 10, 2020, Turkey sent the Oruc Reis research ship, accompanied by warships to look for hydrocarbon resources in the waters between Crete and Cyprus, which Greece claims as its own. Since then, Greece has responded by sending warships into the area, and both countries’ vessels collided. The escalation of Greek-Turkish relations has compromised the energy ambitions of private actors and regional nation-states and has exacerbated an already challenging regional security environment. Old disputes, new developments Regional tensions and skirmishes between Greece and Turkey are nothing new. Greece and Turkey have historically disagreed on the status of Cyprus, split into two after the 1974 war between them. This resulted in the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, solely […]