The Geopolitics of Energy in the East Mediterranean

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A series of discoveries over the past decade revealed that the East Mediterranean region sits on large reserves of natural gas. Plans between Israel, Egypt, and Greece were quickly drafted to develop an ambitious pipeline spanning over 3200 kilometres, with the potential to reduce European reliance on Russian natural resources. While new discoveries in Israel, Cyprus and Egypt in 2022 have attracted support for the development of integrated production capabilities, geopolitical and diplomatic challenges abound. Disputes between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus and the extent of their respective exclusive economic zones, the lack of official relations between Israel and Lebanon, and the lack of a final agreement between Israel and Cyprus concerning their respective fields complicate the issue. With the US having withdrawn their support for the pipeline project and Gulf companies increasing their investments in the region, our panel of experts will provide an overview of the current state of energy relations in the East Mediterranean, and discuss the original project—and viable permutations thereof—alongside their respective geopolitical implications at play.

Speakers:

Dr Filippos Proedrou | Dr Proedrou is Senior Lecturer in Global Political Economy with expertise in Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea geopolitics, and energy and climate policy at the University of South Wales. Dr Proedrou’s book, “Energy Policy and Security under Climate Change” has been listed among the 20 best books of all time in the Energy Policy and Renewable Energy categories by Book Authority.

Tom Pepper | Tom Pepper is Energy Intelligence’s Deputy Bureau Chief in London and North African and East Mediterranean Correspondent. Tom is a regular contributor to Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, Energy Compass, International Oil Daily and World Gas Intelligence. Previously, Tom worked for a boutique investigations company focused on emerging markets in the Middle East and Africa and the Middle East Economic Digest, where he covered the politics and economic sectors of the Levant and the Gulf. Tom has a master’s degree in Near and Middle Eastern studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies and completed his bachelor’s degree in French, History and classics at Durham University.

Dr Selim Koru | Dr Koru works for the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) as an analyst focusing on Turkish politics and foreign policy. He is also a writing fellow with the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Dr Koru studied History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, international politics and economics at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He has also studied at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. In 2010-2011, he worked at the Turkish daily newspaper Sabah, as well as Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English language bureaus in Washington DC.