Middle East petroleums and a study for Turkish economy

At every stage of hisotry energy has been one of the most importantelements of social and economic living. Energy demand in the world isgrowing day by day, primarily consumed by the developed countries. Thusthat per capita energy consumption in a country is accepted to be theindicator of development on that country.Since the end of 1800?s, oil and natural gas have been playing theleading role among energy resources. Therefore continuous struggles for oiland natural gas take place and even wars are fought for this purpose.Although studies have been recently conducted for usage of alternativeenergy resources, oil and natural gas still enjoy a very respectable positionamong energy resources.Active usage of oil in the economic living has drawn attention of thewhole world to the Middle East, where a large part of the world?s oil andnatural gas reserves and their production are located.Although a lot of Middle Eastern Countries own large amounts of oiland natural gas resources, economies of these countries wholly depend onthe petroleum sector because their industries are underdeveloped. While alarge part of their exports consists of oil and natural gas, they meet theirdemand for other products largely by importing.Turkey satisfies a small part of its oil demand by its own productionwhile trying to close the deficit by importing. However, Turkey?s industry ismuch more developed than that of its Middle Eastern neighbors. A widerange of products is manufactured in the country thus diversifying exports.Objective of this study has been to discuss the issues summarizedabove in more detail while the result obtained has been the necessity forTurkey to increase its efforts aimed at purchasing oil and natural gas from itsMiddle Eastern neighbors on more privilieged terms by using its industrycomperatively more developed than that of the Middle Eastern Countries toexport the products under demand in such countries. This study recommendsmaking use of advantages such as Turkey?s geographic proximity to thecountries of the Middle East, common history, religion and culture andTurkey?s serving as a bridge for the contact between countries of the Middleeast and the European Countries.