By Gifts Antoniou

The official briefing on the exact content of the court ruling issued by the Egyptian Court and relates to the ownership of the Sinai Monastery and the areas surrounding it, is awaiting Athens to determine exactly what is true, if the operating regime changes or threatened the monastery.

In the aftermath of the upheaval caused by the announcement that a court ruling was issued at the time when it was expected that the issue of claims against the monastery would be closed by signing an agreement late last night, the Egyptian Presidency, in a statement, rushed to point to it, This regime is consistent with what Egyptian President al -Sisi has stressed during his recent visit to Athens.

The Greek government had arranged through the government spokesman that the prime minister “He remains in the commitment he has publicly and privately received from the President of Egypt during the Supreme Cooperation Council of the two countries in Athens to maintain the worship Greek Orthodox nature of the monastery and is awaiting the signing of the agreement immediately, as it was between the parties.”. Athens has made sure to make it clear that its interest in developments in relation to the monastery remains active and that any developments cannot differentiate the public assurances given.

Delays in signing the agreement

The concern caused by the court ruling starts with the fact that there was a confidence in both the Greek government and the Sinai community that the agreement that has arisen, after months of negotiations to interrupt judicial claims on the facilities and assets. However, the delays in the signing of the agreement, which some more suspicious were considered pretentious for some time, had begun to burden what climate. The issuance of the court ruling caused an alarm.

The information published in Egyptian media on the content of the decision is the ones that brought the Greek side’s reaction and raised the Sinai community’s concerns about the prospects for the continuing continuation of the monastery’s long -standing presence and operation. According to these reports, the decision refers to the possession of the premises of the monastery by the Egyptian state, as they are considered public property and for the ability of the monks to practice religious rituals under the leadership of the bishopric of the monastery, who was appointed by Presidential Decree 306 of 1974, as well as that all the archaeologists were considered by the Archaeological Council. In statements, however, made on Thursday night by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman notes that “The court ruling refers to the existence of certain remote areas of natural shelters away from the monastery and uninhabited, and that no ownership or occupation documents have been adopted. Therefore, these areas are considered state land. “

From a religious cradle with centuries -long tradition, tourist attraction?

The estimates of ecclesiastical circles and sources near the Sinai Monastery are that in essence, such a decision facilitates a plan to convert the monastery from a religious cradle with a centuries -long tradition to a tourist attraction, as if the data being published, not only the right to be redeemed, but only the right to use it, monks in the monastery. In the statements made by the representative of the Egyptian Foreign Minister and referring to this issue, he argues that “The court ruling stipulated that the monks of the monastery continue to be allowed to use it, as well as the religious and archaeological sites of the area.”

Given that a clear reference is made to Archbishop Damianos since 1974, there is concern about what is to come with the successor. The Archbishop is at the age of 91 and is the only one who has been given an Egyptian passport. For the rest of the monks there is a renewed visa status annually.

How did we get here

Yesterday’s development is the ending of a long -standing lawyer over the monastery’s facilities and properties, which began when the desert surrounding the monastery and for centuries only hosted a few Bedouin tribes, began to grow tourist. As these land began to gain value, a property declaration of property declaration was launched in the 2000 – 2010. The monastery stated in detail its properties and in 2015 the first disputes began by the then commander of South Sinai, which escalated, reached a total of 71 properties, including the monastery’s facilities, gardens and hostels. The appeal was referred to by Archbishop Damianos, and even the demolition of the monastery was demanded.

The mobilization of Athens and the negotiations that have been made all the time to reach an agreement in order to end the judicial claims had created hopes that the matter would be closed. It remains to be seen what the developments will be in the coming days, as the Greek side expects the publication of the decision in its entirety.