The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region that impacts the world economy and politics due to its strategic importance. The Mediterranean is an intersection for Asia, Africa and Europe, which connects the Eastern and Western world. Numerous passages bind the various routes stretching from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean opened by the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar. Moreover, countries in the region are abundant with natural resources and a young population. The region is captivated with foreign interventions, intra-regional conflicts, and various crises that affect the political and economic stability of the region.

The island of Cyprus was acknowledged as the most important body of land in the East Mediterranean since the Romans, if not before. With the Anglo-French rivalry in the 19th century, Cyprus gained significant importance due to its function as a transit point for maritime trade reaching to the Levant, North Africa, the Nile Basin and the Red Sea. Cyprus is situated in the middle of where the West’s and East’s frontiers meet with one another. Hence, this geostrategic location enhances the involvement and influence of the governing bodies on the island in MENA politics. In this context, we are glad to host Mr. Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, in the series of ORSAM public lectures.