The double message from Athens and Cairo to Ankara – We have interests from Syria to the Aegean and the Mediterranean, says Cavusoglu

Athens and Cairo sent a double message to Ankara, on the occasion of the meeting of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo.

The two heads of diplomatic corps made it clear firstly that they do not recognize the Turkish-Libyan memorandum as legal and secondly that they will defend with all legal means their interests and rights, which stem from the agreements signed by the two countries.

Mr. Dendias stated that the mandate of the Libyan government has expired and therefore has no right to conclude agreements.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister referred extensively to the mutually beneficial agreement signed by Athens and Cairo two years ago and underlined that Libya must obtain a normal government through elections and that foreign powers withdraw from its territory, sending an additional message to Ankara.

In Turkey, however, they still insist on their narrative, despite the unanswered “slaps” at the diplomatic level both from the Prague Summit and from Washington. Mevlut Cavusoglu, with his new statements on Sunday, opened the fan of Turkish claims, asserting that Turkey has rights and interests from Syria and Libya, to Cyprus, the Aegean and the Mediterranean, which it will defend. It is worth noting, however, that his speech was milder, avoiding martial crowns.

The statements of Dendia and Shoukry from Cairo

For violating the principles of the United Nations by signing the memorandum of cooperation and for attempting to Turkey to take advantage of the situation in Libya, said the foreign minister, Nikos Dendias in his statements after the meeting he had with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.

“Turkey, by blackmailing and putting pressure on Libyan actors, tried to create a legal monstrosity with the 2019 “memorandum”, underlined Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in his statements after the meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry earlier today in Cairo, while emphasizing that it is Greece’s obligation to defend its sovereign rights with all available legal means.

“Three years later, Turkey seeks, once again, to take advantage of the turbulent situation in Libya to further destabilize security in the Mediterranean region and establish a regional hegemony,” Mr. Dendias stressed and expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the signing of the “memorandum” that took place last Monday was clearly denounced by the EU, the USA, Germany, Egypt, France, Italy and many other countries. He also noted that the overwhelming reaction of the political forces of Libya against this memorandum “clearly shows that the only consequence of this act is the further destabilization of the country.”

“No government can grant Turkey research rights in areas where it does not exercise sovereign rights,” he pointed out.

As he mentioned, Greece and Egypt signed two years ago in Cairo an agreement on the delimitation of the EEZ between Greece and Egypt based on International Law and the International Law of the Sea, which creates exclusive sovereign rights for Greece, as well as for Egypt.

“Greece has the intention and the obligation to defend these rights with all available legal means”, he characteristically underlined. “We do not claim anything that does not belong to us. We fully respect the principles of International Law. We do not take aggressive actions, nor do we undermine peace and stability.”

As he recalled, the so-called “memorandum” of 2019 was denounced internationally as illegal, invalid and non-existent, as it clearly violates fundamental principles of the International Law of the Sea. It was never ratified by the Libyan Parliament. In fact, he added, he was denounced by the Libyan Parliament.

“No one can build new data on the basis of illegal and unfair actions. No one can ignore geography, no one can create a virtual world, a world where islands stop appearing on the map,” he pointed out.

The foreign minister said that the precarious situation in Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean was the main topic of discussion with his Egyptian counterpart, with whom they agreed that “a common strategic goal is a stable, prosperous and peaceful Libya and a stable Eastern Mediterranean.”

He pointed out that Greece supports the efforts being made, which will pave the way for the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections, while he recalled that it has taken various measures in order to support the Libyan people.

Last year it reopened the embassy in Tripoli, while providing tangible support, including rebuilding the port of Benghazi, funding humanitarian projects in Tripoli.

“However, we are particularly concerned about actions that threaten to destabilize the fragile internal balance, but also possibly the region,” he said, noting that the recent signing with Turkey is such a case, as it violates a fundamental principle of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum under UN guidance.

Specifically, it stipulates that the Government of National Unity cannot conclude any international agreement in a way that damages the stability of the foreign relations of the Libyan state.

In addition, he stressed, “the term of office of the Tripoli government has expired long ago, so it does not represent the Libyan people. This government has no authority to review or implement previous agreements regarding the future of Libya’s foreign relations.”

Mr. Dendias said that Greece and Egypt share a common goal “to help Libya become a functioning state and also to make the Mediterranean a peaceful and stable sea. A sea of ​​prosperity where people can cooperate with each other, as the Greeks and Egyptians have been doing for thousands of years.”

“Our friendship with Egypt is not just a strategic partnership. It is something much more”, he noted and pointed out that Greece will do everything in its power to support Egypt bilaterally, but also within the framework of the EU, while deeply appreciating that it can count on Egypt’s support, both in bilateral framework, as well as in the Arab League and other international forums.

“Greece and Egypt are a bridge between Europe and the Arab world, as well as a bridge between Europe and Africa. A bridge over troubled waters and troubled lands,” he concluded.

Sameh Shukri, for his part, stated:

“It is a pleasure to welcome you, Minister of Foreign Affairs. We discussed bilateral relations, with a great understanding of international issues. It is clear that our relations are strategic, very strong reflecting our historical relations.

We talked about RES, especially since our countries can play a special role in the transfer of energy from the Eastern Mediterranean. As you know two years ago we signed the EEZ agreement and discussed our international obligations and how positive this will be for economic relations. From this agreement, which is very positive, we will have multiple benefits. This agreement is in accordance with International Law… and we must get the maximum benefits from this agreement.

We discussed the tripartite cooperation with Cyprus and how we will face the international challenges in the economy.

We also discussed Libya and how necessary it is to hold elections in Libya and I explained Egypt’s efforts to bridge the sides in Libya. We discussed the need for foreign forces to leave Libya. We agreed that the Libyan government has no right to sign international agreements. This government emerged from the agreement under the auspices of the UN… and the commitments should be kept. The government had a lifetime until June 2022 and it is clear that its legitimacy has expired.”

The statements of Mevlut Cavusoglu

“We are obliged to protect her interests and rights Turkey from Syria to Libya and from Cyprus, the Aegean to the Mediterranean”, said on Sunday Mevlut Cavusogluas reported by the correspondent of SKAI in Istanbul Manolis Kostidis.

The Turkish Foreign Minister stated that “it is our obligation to reduce the influence of these crises on our country. We have priorities:

First, to protect the rights and interests of the country, from Syria to Libya, from Cyprus, the Aegean to the Mediterranean, we are obliged to protect our rights and laws. Second, to contribute to peace and prosperity in regional and global crises.”

#Canlı📡

Vatandaşlarımızla bülüşma

📍Strazburg/France https://t.co/kOidkWMU9t

— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) October 9, 2022

Referring to the war in Ukraine he said: “There is support for Turkey’s role, but it should not only be verbal support, but also substantial”.

He then said: “Whatever is in the interest of our country, that’s what we have to do. We must proceed with a realistic mindset. We know what our strength is. We know what our hard and soft power is. But we know how we can use it in a balanced way and be an “intelligent force”.

Concluding, he stated: “You know there were problems in our relations with some countries in our region. In most of them, if you notice almost all of them were problems that came from the other side and not from us. But normalization processes continue. We want stability in the region.”

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