July 08, 2015

Energy Cooperation in the History of Turkish-Russian Relations

The Black Sea separates the territory of the Russian Federation from that of the Republic of Turkey. While Russia has massive oil and gas reserves, Turkey has limited oil and gas sources and is accordingly heavily dependent on foreign supplies to meet its growing energy needs. The countries’ disproportionate levels of resources have led to a strategic relationship in the energy market. This paper examines the history of this relationship in four periods: the Soviet Union period, from 1992-2001, from 2002-2009, and from 2010-2015.