Automotive Exports September 2020

hydrocarbon reserves, along with the Black
Sea region, Turkey’s energy dependence
might decline significantly in the future.
In fact, further discoveries might even
turn the energy-hungry country into an
exporter.
It goes without saying that politics
and energy issues go hand-in-hand in
the international arena and Turkey’s
discovery is likely to have foreign policy
repercussions.
Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, head of the Ankara
Centre for Crisis and Policy Research
(ANKASAM), said the natural gas discovery
paved the way for independent policies
and might increase Turkey’s regional
influence.
“Natural gas and oil were sometimes
weaponized against Turkey, therefore, the
discovery is likely to strengthen Turkish
position in the sense of safety of energy
supply,” Erol said, adding energy relations
between Turkey and Russia might be
effected by the discovery.
Arguing that Moscow would have a
“weaker hand” against Ankara in terms of
energy issues in light of the discovery, Erol
said the two countries, who have recently
developed close ties, would maintain
a close relationship as result of their
collaboration on energy-transfer routes.
“One thing that should not be overlooked
in this regard is that a new geopolitical
structure might appear in the Black Sea
region, which is likely to be part of the
international agenda more and become
center of geopolitical competition as
interest of third parties might increase in
this region,” he said.
Given the fact that the US settled in
Bulgaria and Greece, and pursue policies
against Russia, and there is a dispute
of Ukraine and the Bosporus is of great
importance for Moscow; the Russian
administration might rethink its position
against Turkey with whom it is not on the
same page in Libya and Syria, according to
Erol, who said the two nations were getting
closer on Libya where rival elements
recently called for a cease-fire.
He went on to say that Turkey could
emerge as a more powerful country and
make use of “energy diplomacy” in a more
effective manner if more discoveries were
made, adding this was likely as the country
pursued drilling goals through national
means.
’Good news’
Matthew Byrza, senior fellow at
Washington-based Atlantic Council
think-tank, told Anadolu Agency that the
discovery was a “good news” for Turkey as
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