An Israeli, an Egyptian a Greek and a Cypriot walk into a (virtual) room. In the past this might have sounded like a joke. But key regional players are taking the East Mediterranean Gas Forum increasingly seriously.

Four countries that five years ago had little in common (ancient civilizations aside) have been spooked by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s maximalist territorial ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Recent Turkish drilling and seismic shooting in areas where the country’s maritime claims are tenuous at best come on the top of last year’s outrageous Turkey-Libya maritime boundary deal which is seemingly based on pretending that Crete doesn’t exist (see map). (CONTINUED - 2319 WORDS)