A significant meeting with Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, was held by Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, during UN session proceedings. The Foreign Minister once again raised the issue of the Holy Monastery of Sinai with his Egyptian counterpart, expressing confidence that a solution will be found in the near future. As he stated, “we continue our efforts with my Egyptian counterpart to reach an agreement that will ensure the continuity and sustainability of the Monastery, guaranteeing its Greek Orthodox character in perpetuity. This is an extremely complex technical discussion. It’s an issue that goes back centuries. Our effort is to find that functional solution in the coming period so that the Monastery maintains its character unchanged“ he said characteristically.
Read: Gerapetritis on Mitsotakis-Erdogan: They will meet soon, dialogue with Turkey continues
However, bilateral geopolitical issues were also discussed in the meeting: “With Egypt we have a strategic cooperation that is very deep and develops over time. There are many issues, both bilateral and regional. For us, Egypt is a strategic partner and we will continue our efforts to find common alliances, common policies, so we can develop“.
Gerapetritis meeting with Abdelatty: What was decided for Sinai Monastery, Athens’ strategic coordination on EEZ & Turkey
The meeting between Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and his Egyptian counterpart took place at a time when Turkey and Egypt are conducting joint air-naval exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean after 13 years, signaling a new approach between the two countries. The two countries have lifted their dispute and are jointly charting a common stance regarding the Gaza war. Recently, communications and alliances have been multiplying, most notably with the visit of Turkey’s intelligence chief and Erdogan’s close associate, Ibrahim Kalin, to Cairo. A few weeks ago, Egypt’s interest in acquiring defense systems from Turkey was also revealed. Turkey’s rapprochement efforts, as proven, result in offering attractive terms for EEZ delimitation between Turkey and Egypt.
The new climate that has formed in Cairo-Ankara relations concerns Athens, particularly after the Egyptian government’s stance on the Sinai Monastery issue, which nevertheless seemed to be overcome after Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty’s visit to Athens and, as Mr. Gerapetritis stated on Wednesday, possibly a “functional solution“ may be found in the near future.
It should be noted that Athens and Cairo are characterized by multifaceted relations. In 2020, when the Turkish President was saber-rattling against President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, the two countries had formed a common understanding on Eastern Mediterranean issues, which resulted in partial delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone. This agreement served as a counterweight to the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, which Turkey had signed a year earlier with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity based in Tripoli.
However, Greece has been conducting joint military exercises with Egypt annually since 2015, with Cyprus’ participation (“Medusa“). Additionally, Cyprus signed an Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding with Egypt last February for the exploitation of deposits in the Cypriot EEZ. Athens supports Egypt in EU programs, offering valuable support in Brussels.
