Many reports in the German media about the course of the Turkish drilling rig and also the wider geopolitical intentions of Tayyip Erdoğan in the eastern Mediterranean.
The German press is closely following the progress of the Turkish drilling rig Abdulhamid Khan in the eastern Mediterranean. With numerous reports and analyses, it focuses on the new geopolitical visions of Tayyip Erdogan in the region, the extremely tense relations with Greece lately, making extensive references to the difficult history of bilateral relations, from the Cyprus issue and the dispute over maritime zones to the search natural resources at the bottom of the region and recently the dispute over territorial sovereignty in large islands of the Aegean.
The television network n-tv wonders if “there is again tension with Greece by sending the drilling rig”. He notes that since relations between the two countries are at a “historic nadir” the mission of the Turkish driller could shake the “fragile balance”. The German channel also refers to the hot summer of 2020 with the dispatch of the drilling rig Oruch Reis sailing off the coast of Rhodes with the two countries “reaching the brink of military conflict”.
From Sultan Abdulhamid Khan to the eponymous rig
“The new ship is named after the last Ottoman sultan, who was overthrown by nationalists in the Turkish army, the so-called Young Turks, at the beginning of the 20th century. In fact no one would associate Erdogan’s vision of Turkish greatness and national pride with the name Abdulhamid Khan. However, the Turkish ambitions for power were seen in the relevant event. An oversized Turkish crescent painted on the ship’s red hull and a 12-meter-high Turkish flag hanging from the bridge for the cameras,” reports the ZDF network, covering the issue with reports and responses from Turkey.
In fact, according to Professor Filiz Katman, an expert in energy issues from Aydin University in Istanbul: “The departure of the drilling rig on Tuesday is an indication of the Turkish discontent to the Greeks and the Americans. The Turkish side, says the expert, is interested in dialogue. However, if it sees that Turkish interests are affected, Ankara will not hesitate to use harsh means even though it is not its goal.”
Turkey and the momentum of the European need for energy
For its part, the tagesschau.de website of the first German television program focuses, among other things, on the Turkish approach to the issue and the connection of Abdulhamid Khan’s mission with the energy crisis due to the war in Ukraine and the European need for new energy sources. However, as he points out, even if Turkey finds natural gas at the bottom of the Eastern Mediterranean, “its extraction it would be expensive and time-consuming.”
Economic newspaper Handelsblatt observes: “Turkey, which is dependent on natural gas imports, has long felt excluded from the planned exploitation of natural resources in the region. In the eastern Mediterranean, large deposits of natural gas have already been identified. Experts expect more findings. However, whether exploitation will be economically compatible with climate/political goals remains questionable. Against the background of the struggle of Western countries for independence from Russian natural gas, the Mediterranean is regaining groundas a transit area for energy”.
DW – Dimitra Kyranoudis, Berlin
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