Dendias: 'Greece-Egypt agreement a model application of International Law, good neighborliness'

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Athens on Monday, and he called the recent Greece-Egypt agreement for the partial delimitation of the two countries' maritime zones "a model application of International Law, of the Law of the Sea and of the principle of mutual respect and good neighborliness."
The Greek minister noted that this agreement dealt with an issue that was pending for more than 15 years, is the result of negotiations pursued in good faith, and it contributes to the exploitation of natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. In this context, the Greece-Egypt agreement is the "polar opposite of the non-existent, illegal memorandum of Turkey with the government of Tripoli, which is trying to map new, invisible regions of neighboring borders."

"Today we had the opportunity to discuss precisely what a partial demarcation is, and also how will we can restart the negotiation between us for the completion of this demarcation," he noted.

After briefing Shoukry on Turkey's provocative actions and rhetoric, he reiterated that Greece is willing to participate in a dialogue with Turkey "for the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ, provided that illegal actions, threats, blackmail come to an end, because under threat and blackmail there is no dialogue." The withdrawal of Turkish research vessel Oruc Reis was a positive step, but was unfortunately, as he said, accompanied by a threatening rhetoric.

The two countries' synchronization of actions in the Eastern Mediterranean was also discussed, while the two ministers hailed Israel's normalization agreements with both Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, to be signed imminently in Washington.
After adding that the agreement contributes to peace and stability, the Egyptian minister said the two men discussed the cooperation of the region's countries for the exploitation of gas and the "wealth that exists in the Eastern Mediterranean region, in accordance with International Law."

"We have rejected all provocative actions that destabilize the region and escalate tensions, which are not in the interests of either side. Together we strive for the Eastern Mediterranean to become a region of cooperation, of brotherhood, a region of peace, to contribute to the prosperity of the region," underlined Shoukry.