Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics and its effects on Turkey's energy security

The Eastern Mediterranean is a region where civilizations have settled throughout history and is at the center of trade and human transportation in both north-south and east-west axis. For this reason, empires tried to establish dominance over the Eastern Mediterranean basin and to control trade routes. Although there have been many states that have tried to dominate the region throughout history, only three empires have succeeded in doing so. These are the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. The main purpose of these empires was to control the transportation of goods from the East to the West and to hold the world trade in this way. With the geographical discoveries, the Eastern Mediterranean began to lose its importance rapidly. With the loss of the importance of the old trade routes, the Eastern Mediterranean trade was negatively affected, in this case, it affected the Ottoman Empire the most, and the Ottomans had a great income for this reason. With the discovery of hydrocarbon resources, the Eastern Mediterranean regained its geopolitical importance in the 21st century, which it lost in the 18th century. Countries have started to compete in order to get a larger share from the energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, where many states have exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. As one of these states, Turkey wants to provide its rightful share from the Eastern Mediterranean energy resources and contribute to its own energy security. In this study, Turkey's energy security and Eastern Mediterranean energy policies will be examined in detail. In addition, answers will be sought to the following questions: Is the Eastern Mediterranean important for Turkey's energy security? Is Turkey's energy security under threat? What are the policies that should be implemented in the Eastern Mediterranean?