This discussion paper assesses the inherent uncertainty of the global natural gas industry, the problematic and seemingly outdated logic of ‘energy dependence’, as well as the spirit in which the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean have been used for shortsighted geopolitical gains and a particular vision of ‘peace’. This discussion paper argues that the issue of natural gas is a symptom of the Cyprus Problem, and suggests that attention should be diverted back to the peace process and the compromises necessary for a sustainable solution.
For decades, U.N-sponsored efforts to enact comprehensive changes to the status-quo in Cyprus have been unsuccessful. Though for the Greek-Cypriots, the issue of natural gas is not to be associated formally with the peace process, the natural gas development process has been inextricably linked to the settlement talks as a so-called “catalyst for peace”. For the Turkish Cypriots, the issue is yet another failed litmus test against their quest for effective political equality, and aversion to being reduced into an impotent minority. This discussion paper assesses the inherent uncertainty of the global natural gas industry, the problematic and seemingly outdated logic of ‘energy dependence’, as well as the spirit in which the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean have been used for shortsighted geopolitical gains and a particular vision of ‘peace’. This discussion paper argues that the issue of natural gas is a symptom of the Cyprus Problem, and suggests that attention should be diverted back to the peace process and the compromises necessary for a sustainable solution.
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