Bitter conflict between Turkey and UAE over energy projects of eastern Mediterranean

The rivalry between Turkey and the UAE has become even more bitter this week, as the UAE has been embroiled in a dispute over gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, and the two sides are seeking to highlight their strength in the region, according to Deutsche Welle.com.

Turkey reacted angrily to a joint statement issued by the UAE, France, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt earlier this week accusing Turkey of violating Cypriot waters and Greek airspace.

The head of the Turkey program at the U.S.-based Middle East Institute, Gonul Toul, told the German network that the UAE's direct presence in the eastern Mediterranean is due to the troubled relationship between the two countries that are looking just for ways to attack each other."

Tensions escalated when Turkey signed an agreement with one faction of Libya's warring sides to establish a common maritime border last November.

" But more recently, the competing pipeline has become economically "unviable" after energy prices fell this year, and many investors have suspended their exploration projects, Toul said.

"From an energy point of view, this means that what Turkey is doing now makes no sense, I think what Turkey is doing there and all other countries, including the UAE, are about showing strength," Toul told the network.

Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are opposed to Libya's civil war, with Turkey supporting the Tripoli-based Government of the National Accord headed by Fayez Siraj, while the UAE supports the Libyan National Army forces led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

The deal between Turkey and Al-Sarraj government, along with the economic aspect, included a security aspect under which Turkey sent military equipment and mercenaries in support of the Government of the National Accord, and in return, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed the hope of obtaining diplomatic support from Al-Sarraj to secure gas reserves and prevent them from Turkey's competitors.

The joint statement issued by the UAE and other countries this week condemned what it called "Turkish military intervention in Libya".

Animosity between Turkey and the UAE is fed by differences in political ideology, as Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) supports the Muslim Brotherhood, that the UAE sees as a threat.

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ANHA