Monday 19 September 2011

Turkey to freeze relations with the EU

That is the headline in this piece from EurActive following a statement by Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay.

Readers may wish to refer back to this post on 28th April 2011. 

Why is it I am not surprised by the latest news? It would appear that where the EU is concerned, logic has very little to do with their political actions.


Update: As commenter PeterMG  has shown - there's oil in them there waters! 
As I pointed out in my reply to his comment....... 

8 comments:

PeterMG said...

Have you noticed that Turkey is ramping up the tension over the oil in the shale in the Med. There could be as much gas and oil as in the middle east. Lets see if our political class can agree so all people in the eastern med benefit from this bounty or will greed get in the way.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903374004576580663037431204.html

WitteringsfromWitney said...

PMG: Yup, did notice that and perhaps should have included it but did not wish to pour oil on already troubled waters...... :)

Will amend post now.......

TomTom said...

if our political class can agree so all people in the eastern med benefit from this bounty

When will ALL people in Europe benefit from North Sea Oil ?

Turkey is attempting to threaten Israel and Cyprus by using warships to threaten Israel ships - Cyprus, Greece and Israel are on war alert.

Turkish Cyprus is NOT recognised by any state but Turkey; it is an Occupied Zone. Why should Turkey think it can seize gas fields with a US rig - simply because Hitler decided he wanted to share Rumanian oilfields ?

Turkey has so far threatened Syria and backed down; Israel and faces NATO anger; if Erdogan and his coterie continue this Regional Posturing Turkey might get a bloody nose. Noone wants the Ottomans back.

TomTom said...

Turkey is about to get a well-deserved bloody nose for upsetting the Russians in Syria; the Americans, Greeks, Israelis and Cypriots in the Med, and no doubt irritating Saudi Arabia by attempting to muscle in.........and all that on the back of a bubble economy with over-valued Turkish Lira and prices now out of line with Western Europe........looks like a military coup will be in the offing

WitteringsfromWitney said...

TT: One small point, when I was in Northern Cyprus it was turkish dollars - but hey, lets not argue...

The point I think everyone is missing is that Turkey is very protective of Northern Cyprus and regards it as just an extension of Turkey - and to understand that and the reasons why you have to read the book to which I have referred in back posts.

Bearing that in mind, Turkey's attitude is understandable - not that I'm saying I agree with it....

TomTom said...

Turkey's attitude is understandable

Germany's attitude to Danzig was wholly understandable and to Bohemia....never could understand why Chamberlain put obstacles in the way....

PeterMG said...

TT there is a lot more potential for disagreement over who owns the oil and gas in the eastern med than in the north sea where clearly just 2 countries boarder the majority of the Gas and oil.

Israel alone has possibly the 3rd largest oil shale deposit so far discovered. This is within its boarders so we could say ownership is not in question. In addition it has found an extraordinary large gas deposit in its area of the eastern med.

However Turkey, Greece Syria Lebanon and Egypt have not yet surveyed or done any exploration in those parts of the Med that they could be seen to legitimately control. Does this have the potential for conflict. Will the Palestinians claim a large chunk of the Med based on the Gaza strip and who would do the exploration given all the technology is US.

Is this Oil and Gas bonanza perhaps the last opportunity or a catalyst for there to be some sort of lasting peace agreement in the Middle East. Just thinking aloud.

TomTom said...

TT there is a lot more potential for disagreement over who owns the oil and gas in the eastern med than in the north sea

Well actually EU Energy policy requires Britain to pool N Sea Oil for the good of the Community.....we are actually members and have shared our fishing grounds

As for Israel, Egypt has cut off gas supplies to Israel.....it seems as if Erdogan is playing a silly game by funding Abbas.....War is usually the answer when resources are at risk...as FDR found out when he cut off oil supplies to Japan