The importance of the new Greece-Egypt agreement – The impact on Ankara

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Athens and Cairo dealt a blow to illegal Turkish claims after they demarcated an EEZ between them in August 2020, which secured Greek sovereign rights that Turkey was trying to dispute

By Penelope Galliou

With International Law as a compass, Greece and Egypt with a new movement of particular weight and symbolism, confirmed for the second time in a short period of time their good cooperation and companionship in the Eastern Mediterranean and their role as agents and pillars of stability and peace in the wider region, sending a resounding message to Turkey.

The two countries gave the gratuitous shot to the illegal Turkish claims and after the delimitation of the EEZ between them in August 2020, which secured the Greek sovereign rights that Turkey, Athens and Cairo were trying to dispute, through Defense Ministers Nikos Panagiotopoulos and Mohamed Zaki, proceeded to define Search and Rescue areas. “The Agreement defines the limits of the jurisdiction and the areas of responsibility for the Search and Rescue between Greece and Egypt which are identified with the FIRs of Athens and Cairo respectively, with full implementation and absolute respect of International Law. In contrast, the so-called “Memorandums of Cooperation” between Turkey and the Government of Tripoli, constitute illegal, transgressive, invalid and destabilizing behaviors,” commented the Greek Minister of Defense.

The message he sent was on the same wavelength its Egyptian counterpart, who underlined the fact that the agreement “is imposed by the magnitude of the common challenges and threats we face” as he said and expressed the certainty that in the near future “we will strengthen our cooperation in defense and in all other areas”.

A new move by which the two countries recognize that the area south of Crete and the Eastern Aegean up to the Egyptian coast is controlled exclusively by Athens and Cairo, while at the same time effectively demolishing the illegal actions of Turkey, which in 2020 attempted to unilaterally expands its own search and rescue areas within the Athens FIR.

As yet another important boost to Greece-Egypt cooperation, Greek diplomacy is “weighing” the new agreement between the two countries as it is a move that seals the joint effort to further deepen bilateral relations and bilateral cooperation and widens the fan of the strategy of of two countries, which has international law as its foundation stone, and turns into a new rapture in Ankara’s baseless appetites and disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. . “Based on adherence to International Law, including the Law of the Sea and the principles of the United Nations Charter. Also in view of the respect of international legality and the promotion of peace and stability in the Mediterranean, but also more broadly” commented the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias, in the presence of which and the Egyptian counterpart of Sameh Shoukry, the agreement was signed.

“It is a very important step for the strengthening of relations and the strategic cooperation of the two countries” added the head of the Egyptian diplomacy Mr. Soukry.

The new historic and important agreement between Greece and Egypt a few hours after the much-publicized handshake Tayyip Erdogan with Egyptian President Sisi, on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatarintensifies the irritation of Ankara, which sees its plans and the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum being dismantled.

Given these conditions, Hulusi Akar, set up a new anti-Greek show. declaring that his country will not allow Cyprus, the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean to be done away with, reversing the reality according to his favorite tactic. “Greece is making all kinds of efforts to increase the tension, with continuous provocative actions and aggressive rhetoric, with claims and demands that go beyond reason, logic and the law, which is unprecedented in the entire world,” claimed the Turkish Defense Minister.

The propaganda was also continued by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the annual edition of the bulletin with the positions and objectives of Erdogan’s foreign policy for 2023, in which Greece is characterized as a violator while it is stated that they will continue the investigations in the Eastern Mediterranean. “On this continental shelf, where we have sovereign rights, hydrocarbon activities continue with Turkish-flagged seismic and drilling vessels. Greece’s violation of the demilitarized status of the Eastern Aegean islands is brought to the attention of the international community with letters sent to the UN,” the relevant bulletin states.

However, even if the Turkish fake news finds possible listening ears inside Turkey and the nationalist audience of Tayyip Erdoğan and “myself”, the international community, sufficiently informed by Greek diplomacy, rejects Ankara’s non-existent claims and any absurd Turkish claim. After all, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to confirm and add to the list of other supporters of Greece, repeating the statement of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that the sovereign rights of our country in the Aegean islands are indisputable. “I confirm this statement by Tajani and I also confirm that I am very interested in working and strengthening bilateral relations with Greece, but also with the countries of the Mediterranean in general,” the Italian Prime Minister emphasized and also stated that she wants to strengthen the cooperation with Greece, starting with immigration and the fight against any “hybrid wars”, photographing Ankara and its provocations.

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