The Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi stressed that Turkey should respect international law and end its dispute with Greece and Cyprus over the eastern Mediterranean.
“Turkey should respect international law and the law of the sea, and not undertake any unilateral action without consultation and at the expense of the security and peace of the region,” El-Sisi said during an interview with French newspaper ‘Le Figaro’.
When asked whether a military confrontation between Egypt and Turkey was possible over Libya, El-Sisi replied that, “Egypt is working to reach a comprehensive political solution, which remains the only possible way to settle this crisis and ensure the stability of Libya, which shares 1,200km of borders with Egypt. It is imperative to end foreign interventions that threaten the stability of this country, as a result of the transfer of mercenaries, and weapons to extremist militias.”
The president added that Cairo will never be the initiator of violence, warning that “The armed forces are always ready to defend national security in the face of any threat.”
El-Sisi met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris, on Monday. The two sides discussed the Libyan crisis, and the Turkish provocations in the eastern Mediterranean. Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, noted that Egypt and France have the “same point of view” in dealing with Libya. The two countries emphasized that they are working on a political solution to end the conflict.