Interview with Nicoletta Kritikou

After all interview with SKAI Egypt’s foreign minister conceded Sameh Shukri. The head of Egypt’s foreign diplomacy referred to the relations with Greece, the Cairo-Ankara rapprochement, the developments in Greek-Turkish relations and the wider issues concerning the South-Eastern Mediterranean.

Your Excellency, thank you very much for this interview with SKAI. Tension has been escalating dangerously recently between Israel and Palestine. Is there a possibility of de-escalation or a possible explosion into something bigger? Egypt has played a prominent role in the past, as a mediator. Do you plan to do it again?

“We do it all the time. We have never given up trying to discuss and make efforts to maintain calm and move forward in a political process. This period, as you mentioned, is particularly sensitive because it coincides with three important religious holidays: Ramadan, the Jewish Passover and the Christian Passover. And as we have seen, they were a cause of friction. The events at Al Aqsa Mosque led to an unfortunate confrontation and loss of human life. We intervened and discussed how we could restore calm and avoid further escalation. The escalation is very dangerous for the stability of the region, for the well-being of the people of Palestine and Israel. And we continue to play that role so that we are able to convince all parties, including Hamas and Gaza, of the need to maintain calm and avoid escalation.”

One of the countries involved in the ongoing crisis is Syria. You met your counterpart a few days ago. Do you think there can be a viable political settlement to the Syrian crisis? Should President Bashar al-Assad be invited to the Arab League Summit in Riyadh?

“The issue of the Arab League depends on the consensus among all the members of the Arab League, at this stage we are at. We are investigating how best to deal with the situation in Syria, which, unfortunately, we can say has stagnated in recent years, with the status quo remaining the same. This is not in the interest of the Syrian people, nor in the interest of the region. The situation with the presence of foreign troops in the Syrian territory, the lack of ability to meet the needs of the Syrian people, the economic conditions, the lack of political horizon, make it necessary for the Syrian government and all the various political entities in Syria to move forward. The government and the implementation of Security Council resolution 2254 and the constitutional process, as well as building trust and dialogue between the various components of the Syrian political entities, to increase the degree of trust and enable them to face the challenges of the return of Syrian refugees in their homes. This was the primary message I conveyed in my meetings, both in Damascus and when I received the foreign minister. And we are trying to deal with the humanitarian situation in Syria. But I think we should also point out the dangers associated with the presence in Syria of a huge number of terrorist organizations and foreign terrorist fighters. Their presence, without any clear policy or vision, from the international community on how to deal with this challenge, which is a direct threat to the stability, not only of Syria, but of the region and especially of Europe”.

In what ways has the war in Ukraine rearranged the energy balances in the Eastern Mediterranean?

“No doubt there have been new dimensions and dynamics associated with it, such as the discovery of natural gas resources. And in addition to the clean energy that Egypt can provide, it provides different sources of energy for Europe, which is consistent with the decision made to reduce dependence on Russia. In order to abandon complete dependence on Russian natural gas. But we look at this issue from the perspective of our financial interests. It relates to our ability to provide a source of energy to a market that needs it. The political dimension, I think, is an issue that should be considered in different contexts.”

Egypt and Greece have built a strategic partnership in many areas. One of the most important agreements is the electrical interconnection. Will this agreement resolve energy security issues in Greece and Europe?

“Absolutely. The aim is to make full use of the special and historical relations that exist between Egypt and Greece. The strategic relationship and level of trust between the two governments rests on very strong foundations. As I mentioned in the press conference between the two peoples, the bond between the Greeks who have lived in Egypt and the Egyptians who have lived in Greece is strong. This leads us to find new areas of cooperation. And among them is the recognition of the need for new sources of energy for Europe. Egypt has the resources, it has the capacity to produce green energy through solar and wind energy and green hydrogen that can benefit maintaining the balance of the planet and at the same time provide energy to our partners in Europe.”

Relations with Turkey fractured a decade ago, but there appears to be a moment of rapprochement following Cavusoglu’s visit to Cairo. Did you discuss the road map to overcome the differences regarding Libya and the illegal Turkey-Libya memorandum? What will you have on the agenda during your visit to Ankara?

We started a process because we saw that there was a desire both on Turkey’s side and on our side to de-escalate the tension. This course is in the interest of the region to reduce tension and create a wider calm, which will have a positive impact on the people of the region. This in no way diminishes our special relations with Greece, which are strategic and based on a very strong foundation of understanding. And this is not a zero-sum game. It is important to see how we can change the strategic dimension that can fulfill what we think are the principles on which benevolent relationships can exist. Non-interference in internal affairs and mutual respect and application of international law, and not maintaining an aggressive stance or an expansionist stance in the region. We have identified the areas that need to be addressed both bilaterally and regionally, and we will continue to explore to what extent we can find areas of convergence that meet the expectations of both sides and based on the principles I have just mentioned.

Bilateral relations between Greece and Turkey seem to have turned to a new page. Until yesterday and Mr. Tsavousoglou’s statements that a “package solution” must be found at the International Court of Justice. After all, was it too good to be true?

“As I said, these issues are also related to consistency, and we hope that all relations will take a turn towards the positive, towards adaptation, towards compromise, towards the recognition of interests and the need to deal with differences through politics process to arrive at conclusions that can support and satisfy the interests of both sides in an equitable and fair manner. This can have potential benefits for all countries in the region and increase their cooperation and expand the areas of trade and investment and contribute to the calm and resolution of other crises in the region through cooperation, through joint efforts.”