The statement is - True.
After the discovery of the oil reserves in the Middle East, the more powerful countries of Europe started to intensify their interest about the region a lot.
Until the oil reserves were discovered, the Middle East was not a zone of interest for the super powers of the European continent, so the region was kind of of put aside. But than, the oil reserves were discovered, and just that, but it turned out that they are enormous, the biggest in the world, and that changed the way the Middle East was looked at.
After the oil reserves were discovered and started to be exploited, all of the stronger and more influential countries had their focus on this region, and they still have it.
