World Bulletin / News Desk

Turkey and Israel need to normalize their relations and Greece and Turkey should find political solutions to the Cyprus issue, in order for natural resources in the Levant region to be exploited, Turkey's Deputy Energy Minister Murat Mercan has said.

Speaking at the 20th International Energy and Environment Fair and Conference in Istanbul on Friday, Mercan said that energy could affect political solutions positively in the Levant (east Mediterranean Sea) region.

The region, which is in a disputed area between the Greek Cypriot administration and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, has huge potential for natural gas.

Mercan said that the developing political dynamics with Iraq, Iran and in the Levant could lead to the transfer of oil and natural gas to international markets via Turkey.

"Turkey is progressing on its way to being an energy power in the region. It is integrating with the world through the electricity, oil and the natural gas sector," he said.

While energy demand in the world was increasing, sensibility towards the environment was decreasing, said Mercan, adding that sustainable energy policies should be produced.

Relations between Turkey and Israel became strained in 2010 after Israeli soldiers killed nine people during a raid on the Turkish flotilla Mavi Marmara as it was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.