Afrigather Officers stated that Egypt’s and Greece’s overseas ministers met Sunday in Cairo following controversial maritime and fuel offers that their shared rival Turkey signed with a Libyan chief.
Cairo and Athens have strengthened ties lately, together with cooperation in creating vitality assets, combating terrorism, and signing new maritime border agreements with Cyprus.
At a joint information convention, Greek Overseas Minister Nikos Dendias stated talks together with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukry, targeted on the memorandums of understanding between Turkey and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the chief of one among two competing governments in divided Libya.
He stated such agreements have been a risk to regional stability.
The offers, signed final week within the Libyan capital of Tripoli, embody the joint exploration of hydrocarbon reserves in Libya’s offshore waters and nationwide territory.
Dendias slammed the offers as unlawful, saying they infringed on Greek waters.
The Egyptian overseas minister, in the meantime, stated Dbeibah’s authorities has no authority to conclude such offers, on condition that its mandate expired following Libya’s failure to carry nationwide elections in December final yr.
He known as for the U.N. to take a transparent place on the legitimacy of Dbeibah’s authorities, saying the worldwide physique shouldn’t maintain silent.
Turkey’s agreements with Dbeibah’s authorities got here three years after one other controversial settlement between Ankara and a former Tripoli authorities.
That 2019 deal granted Turkey entry to a contested financial zone within the gas-rich jap Mediterranean Sea, fueling Turkey’s pre-existing tensions with Greece, Cyprus and Egypt over drilling rights within the area.
Dendias stated the 2 ministers additionally mentioned developments within the Aegean Sea, in reference to tensions with Turkey over the alleged deployment of dozens of U.S.-made armoured automobiles by Greece to the Aegean islands of Samos and Lesbos.
There have been no rapid feedback from Turkey or Dbeibah’s authorities.
