Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias received his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry in Athens to discuss international and regional developments in Libya, the Middle East, and the east Mediterranean.
Dendias said in a tweet that he discussed “further strengthening Greek-Egyptian strategic relations in a wide range of areas, including economy, investments, energy, and climate change.”
In October, Libya and Turkey signed a series of economic agreements that included potential energy exploration in maritime areas.
The agreements will allow for oil and gas exploration in Libyan waters, and come three years after the two countries signed a maritime border deal, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said after signing the MoU in Tripoli.
Greece notified the UN secretary-general that the current Libyan government in Tripoli has no right to proceed with any agreement that binds subsequent, democratically elected governments.
During a joint press conference with Shoukry in October, Dendias accused Turkey of exploiting “the turbulent situation in Libya to further destabilize security in the Mediterranean region, and establish a regional hegemony.”
The MoU allows Turkish companies to carry out exploratory drilling for oil and natural gas. “The agreement will allow for oil and gas exploration in Libyan waters, and come three years after the two countries signed a maritime border deal, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said after signing the MoU in Tripoli.
Last week, Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.
El-Sisi said in a joint press conference after the meeting that they “agreed on the importance of holding elections in Libya as soon as possible.”
“We agreed on the significance of holding elections in Libya at the earliest time. We also emphasized the importance of the departure of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyan territory, in consistence with Libya’s restoration of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability,” El-Sisi said.
The Egyptian President noted that the meeting was “a favourable opportunity to confirm our appreciation for the tripartite partnership between Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece.”
