Turkey’s neighborhood is experiencing a new wave of heightened diplomatic activity, as tensions over Ukraine’s Donbass region de-escalate following a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Greece has been playing a dangerous game recently with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. There are several reasons why Greece is choosing to play this high-risk game and increase tensions with its neighbor.

The Greek foreign minister’s populist behavior, an obvious attempt to impress nationalist voters at home, established, without a shadow of a doubt, which country was being unreasonable.

The European Union and the United States were approaching Turkey using the language of sanctions and political pressure rather than empathy and genuine understanding of the country's vulnerabilities.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to visit Ankara on Thursday

There is almost a consensus among scholars and observers of world politics that we are entering a new phase in international relations. This is expected to be another period of great power rivalry.

veryone responded to the coup-tinted declaration of 104 retired admirals the way I predicted on the state broadcaster TRT’s weekly current affairs show the following morning.

Turkey's relations with Washington and Brussels have been in decline for the last several years. This downward trend in diplomatic relations has paused but the accord has not yet been transformed into a more constructive one.

Ukraine’s Donbass region is, once again, at the top of the global agenda. Tensions have escalated there following the March 26 killing of four Ukrainian soldiers by Russian-backed separatists, as Moscow and Kyiv started a war or words. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, threatened that 'any attempt to start a new war in Donbass could destroy Ukraine.' In truth, Lavrov merely uttered those words on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behalf.

The European Union leaders summit resulted in minor positive steps and a three-month extension. The description of steps for rapprochement as “gradual, proportional and reversible” was a textbook carrot-and-stick routine. Europe’s method of communication, too, was quite familiar.

Turkey maintains its decisive stance on the ground as normalization signals with Egypt worry the duo further

French President Emmanuel Macron, in contrast, highlighted Europe’s Turkish dilemma in an interview with France 5. First, he recognized Turkey, a NATO ally, as an important trade partner and a key ally in the fight against illegal migration toward Europe. Then, Macron spoke about the fear that 3 million Syrians will come to the continent. Finally, he claimed that Turkey was going to “attempt to influence” French elections.

Unless the EU respects Turkey’s independent will to protect its own interests, it is unlikely that their relations will grow into a stable cooperation in the long run

In the early 2000s, Turkey made remarkable progress in terms of legal and political reform. At the time, there was a belief in total membership as well momentum for political change and adaptation. The EU side slowed down the process and obstructed Turkey's accession progress.

In order for normalization initiatives to bear fruit, ambassadors must be appointed or an agreement on maritime jurisdiction areas must be signed, which are, in fact, options that are not too far-fetched

SETA’s energy researcher, Gloria Shkurti Özdemir, gave an interview for A News regarding the latest development in the Eastern Mediterranean.

This issue of Insight Turkey highlights different affairs regarding the Eastern Mediterranean region. A number of leading and well-known intellectuals and academicians have contributed to this issue focusing on political, legal, and energy dimensions of maritime tensions and the rise of new geopolitics in the region.