European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
ERPIC is an independent non-partisan, non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the study of political and economic issues affecting Cyprus, and the Eastern Mediterranean.
ERPIC runs three working programs that are at the core of its activities: the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Security Program; the Democracy and Rule of Law Program; and the Energy Program.
ERPIC produces and disseminates original electronic media content, such as interviews, presentations, special briefings, and conferences addressing international law and human rights, democracy building, regional security and energy matters in the Eastern Mediterranean region. ERPIC also organizes live roundtables and seminars featuring diplomats, academics and policymakers.
ERPIC is a founding member of the East Mediterranean Forum, an electronic, online discussion forum, the purpose of which is to serve as a platform for the exchange of information and ideas, facilitate intraregional cross-border, cross-industry and cross-cultural dialogue, which aims at creating a framework for regional cooperation.
Latest Videos
-
The EEZ Agreement Between Greece and Egypt
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Vassillis Martzoukos
Hellenic Institute of Strategic Studies
August 10, 2020
At the end of 2019, Turkey signed a maritime agreement with Libya. It was a signal that Ankara can block the East Mediterranean gas exploration. Since then, Turkey’s research and drilling vessels have been violating Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Turkey-Greece tensions intensified after Turkey sent the seismic research vessel south off the Greek island of Kastellorizo. In August, Greece and Egypt signed an EEZ agreement, based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), recognizing the rights of islands to generate maritime zones, which caused an aggressive reaction from Turkey.
#EastMediterraneanGas #TurkeyGreece #GreeceEEZ #CyprusEEZ
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org -
Greece's Response to Turkish Naval Provocations
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Vassillis Martzoukos
Hellenic Institute of Strategic Studies
July 27, 2020
After tensions between Turkey and Greece in the Aegean dangerously increased in August, the two countries have entered a temporary de-escalation phase, following diplomatic efforts led by Germany and the US. However, the geopolitical situation in the East Mediterranean remains difficult, with the ongoing Libyan civil war, Russia’s presence in Syria and Libya, the crumbling of the Turkish economy, and the recent military agreement between Turkey and Albania. Turkish dictatorship, driven by a mix of nationalism, neo-Ottomanism, and a ‘lebensraum’ concept has emerged as a permanent destabilizing factor in the East Mediterranean. Further provocations by the Turkish navy are to be expected.
#TurkishNavy #TurkishDictatorship #TurkishNationalism #TurkeyGreece
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org -
Future Developments in the Eastern Mediterranean
Colonel (res) Dr Eran Lerman
Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security
March 27, 2020
There is an emerging framework of strategic commonality of interests between the East Mediterranean countries. It is embodied in the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, whose aim is to provide an organizational structure for energy cooperation in the region. The major infrastructure project that triggered the establishment of the EMGF, the East Med pipeline raises questions of economic feasibility, nevertheless, the regional cooperation within this framework goes beyond energy. At stake is a serious regional challenge posed by a key player: Erdogan’s Turkey. Its expansionism and irredentism in the East Mediterranean go beyond traditional Turkish nationalism. It is in fact a form of neo-Ottomanism which will be the key challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean for the foreseeable future.
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org
#EasternMediterranean #EastMediterraneanGasForum #EastMedPipeline #EastMediterraneanGas -
A Future Outlook on the Eastern Med
Air Cdre (Ret) Andrew Lambert
Director, ERPIC Regional Security Program
March 27, 2020
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org -
Iran, the U.S. and the Death of Qusem Soleimani
Brig Gen (Retd) Dr Ephraim Sneh
S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Studies
January 16, 2020
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org -
The Berlin Conference on Libya
Mr. Ashraf Mohamed Naguib
Global Trade Matters
February 9, 2020
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org -
The Israeli Elections 2020
Dr Elie Friedman
S. Daniel Abraham Center for Strategic Dialogue
March 8, 2020
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org -
Projections for the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Prof Marios Evriviades
Neapolis University Paphos
March 12, 2020
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org
Professor Marios Evriviades from the Neapolis University Paphos discusses possible scenarios for the Eastern Mediterranean in the next five years, in particular in the context of growing tensions between Turkey and its neighbors caused by Turkish nationalism, irredentism, and expansionism.
Turkey's behavior under the Erdoğan regime indicates that Turkey wants to establish a hegemonic position in the Eastern Mediterranean. And the historic record of interstate relations demonstrates opposition to any form of hegemonism. The state system is by its very nature anti-hegemonic.
Unless Ankara abandons its hegemonic pretensions, the Eastern Mediterranean will face increasing turmoil, much more than today.
Much of this turmoil will center around the potential wealth of the Eastern Mediterranean in hydrocarbons. And with the striking exception of Turkey, the rest of the East Mediterranean countries have already established cooperative alignments on the issue of exploiting the resources of the region. Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, have formed the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, an umbrella organization for corporation and dialogue regarding the development of gas resources in the region.
While energy is the catalyst, broader considerations led to the establishment of the Forum. These reflect the shared perceptions of the regional states about their national security and how national security issues can be co-operatively addressed. -
2019 UK Election Results, December 20, 2019
Air Cdre Andrew Lambert
Director, ERPIC Regional Security Program
December 20, 2019
European Rim Policy and Investment Council (ERPIC)
www.erpic.org
Publications
