Minister of Foreign Affairs N. Dendias’ article in the Egyptian newspaper ‘Al-Ahram’ (18/06/2020)

Greece and Egypt - Pillars of stability and security in the Mediterranean

For centuries, Greece and Egypt have stood facing each other, with the Mediterranean extending as a bridge between us — a bridge of friendship, understanding, cooperation and trust between our peoples. To date, the Greek presence in Alexandria and Cairo remains vibrant, with the community of the Greek diaspora, the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine of Mt. Sinai contributing greatly to the economic, social and cultural life of Egypt.

All the above are a testament to religious freedom in Egypt, making it an example to emulate.

On the one side of the Mediterranean, the eternal beacon of the Arab world, Egypt — and on the other side of the same sea, the cradle of democracy, Greece. It is our shared belief that the Mediterranean can and must become a sea of peace for all its peoples, and that International Law is the only ‘compass’ by which states can navigate the development of their relations and the resolution of their differences.

However, stability and security in the Mediterranean are currently under threat. Through the unlawful and null memorandum signed with al-Sarraj in Libya and through its involvement in the Libyan civil war, in violation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council, Turkey is defying international legality and undermining the rights of the region's countries and peoples.

Greece and Egypt, the two oldest civilisations in the Mediterranean, have always had open borders and the sea between us always united rather than divided us. Through its inexcusable interference and illegal actions, Turkey aims to do away with our common maritime borders, our shared path towards cooperation, growth and prosperity.

Today, an expansionist, revisionist Turkey is undermining regional security and stability, as well as peace in Libya, which President Al-Sisi is trying to promote through his most recent proposal and which Greece, along with other countries in the region, has welcomed. Turkey is trying to manipulate the Arab world according to its own “hegemonic” pursuits. It is causing problems with all its neighbours, violating the sovereignty of Libya, Syria and Cyprus. This is a Turkey undermining the very future of the region.

It must be noted that Greece and Egypt have long tried to establish conditions of stability and growth in our region. Our countries are working closely within international organisations and in the context of the Union for the Mediterranean. Our bilateral relations are continuously growing in a number of areas, such as the economy, entrepreneurship, culture, tourism and defence cooperation.

We are natural strategic allies and this was further clarified through the trilateral cooperation between Greece, Egypt and Cyprus, an innovative regional dialogue platform that promotes close partnership among our countries and has resulted in very productive cooperation in areas of common interest, such as agricultural production, shipping, maritime transport, infrastructure, environmental protection and energy cooperation.

Therefore, we have laid the foundations for a broad cooperation on multiple levels, that is not directed against any other country in the region — and this has been acknowledged by everyone. After all, it is not by chance that this trilateral scheme recently welcomed another great Mediterranean country, France, as well as the United Arab Emirates. We have thus created a bridge of understanding and common outlook extending throughout the Mediterranean and up to the Gulf — and this makes me particularly happy, as does the fact that my country, along with Cyprus, constitute a bridge between Egypt and the European Union and systematically promote cooperation between Cairo and Brussels.

It is my hope that my visit will contribute towards further bolstering our already exceptional cooperation and towards substantially promoting talks between us on the delimitation of our maritime zones, always on the basis of International Law, just like Greece recently accomplished with our friend, Italy. After all, Greece and Egypt staunchly support — and have proven this in practice — that any pending issues between countries must be resolved through dialogue and agreements, rather than through illegal unilateral actions, in accordance with International Law and on the basis of the principles of good neighbourly relations. It is on this basis that I hope my visit will send a message of peaceful co-existence, understanding, stability and trust throughout our region, throughout the Mediterranean.