Turkey's Eastern Mediterranean policy

The Mediterranean Region; It is a region bordered by the coasts of Africa, Asia and Europe, covering a wide geography from the Dardanelles to the Suez Canal in the east and the Strait of Gibraltar in the west. The control of the region came under the sovereignty of other states in some periods.Today, there are Cyprus and 20 states that have a coast on the Mediterranean. The Eastern Mediterranean Region also geographically takes place in a central and strategically important location. Since 2000, natural gas reserves discovered in the south of Cyprus have attracted the attention of coastal states. The Greek Cypriot Administration's agreements with the coastal states and its attempts to license the oil companies by dividing the region into 13 parcels increased the problems in the region. The fact that the international law rules in the region are violated and that the allied states ignore the interests of other coastal states has been increasing the tension in the region. For this reason, foreign states are also attempting to take part in the region. In this study, the importance of the Eastern Mediterranean Region both historically and presently, the Cyprus Problem, the agreements and projects made between coastal states, the attitudes of non-regional states and oil companies, the discovered natural gas reserves and Turkey's Eastern Mediterranean policies are emphasized. It is also aimed to establish solutions for possible threats and problems between states. The study consists of 4 chapters. In the first part of the study, the historical importance of the Mediterranean Region and the developing processes related to the Island of Cyprus are mentioned. In the second chapter, the agreements and projects made by the coastal states were discussed by considering the maritime jurisdiction areas and hydrocarbon field areas in the context of International Law. In the third chapter, Turkey's natural gas-oil pipelines and it's economic situation in energy are examined. In the last chapter, the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean were discussed and the region was tried to be analyzed.