With the discovery of hydrocarbon reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean bringing Turkey’s old and new rivalries together, the Ankara government is taking slow but steady steps toward a comeuppance for them. Only time will tell whether the effort will yield productive results.

On Feb. 17, Turkey launched the Tubitak Marmara, its first domestically produced oil-exploration vessel, some two weeks after the Barbaros Hayrettin, a newly purchased 3-D seismic exploration vessel, docked at Istanbul, on Feb. 1.

Speaking before parliament on Jan. 30, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz asserted that Turkey’s underwater oil and natural gas explorations had received new momentum. He described the new vessels as part of a well-coordinated effort clearly signaling that the path ahead will not be an easy one for anyone attempting to isolate Turkey and prevent it from exploiting its rightful share of hydrocarbons in the region. If these ships say something, it is that Turkey is serious about preserving its water rights and exclusive economic zone. They also highlight that Turkey is no longer solely reliant on others to assist it with hydrocarbon exploration.

Recent hydrocarbon discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean basin have brought together Israel, Greece and Greek Cyprus in an unusual alignment at a time when Turkish and Israeli politicians have gone over the cliff in their failed efforts to revive their relationship in the wake of the Mavi Marmara affair. Turkish officials closely monitoring the situation remain skeptical about the trio’s ability to bring the oil and natural gas finds to market at a reasonable price — especially given the complicated engineering of building a pipeline in the Eastern Mediterranean basin if the they are determined to push Turkey aside.