Egypt, Cyprus, Greece demand respect for sovereignty of Mediterranean nations

Athens/Cairo: – Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, through a joint statement, have demanded that the sovereignty and the sovereign rights over the Mediterranean Sea region have to be respected. A meeting of the Foreign Ministers of these three countries was held in Athens, the capital of Greece, on Saturday. During the discussions in the meeting, while making the demand regarding the Mediterranean region, assurance also was given that all the three countries are committed to abide by the United Nations regulations regarding marine sectors. The joint statement issued by Egypt, Greece and Cyprus seems to be an effort to increase pressure on Turkey.

The international surveys and reports have revealed that there are huge oil reserves in the Mediterranean Sea region. Turkey has started moves to gain control over the largest chunk of this region. Turkey is claiming parts of the marine areas of Greek and Cyprus also to be its own. Last year, it had deployed a research ship, Oruc Reis, along with two other vessels for oil exploration in the Mediterranean Sea region, declaring a NAVTEX alert. After that, Turkey held regular war exercises in these regions to show its domination.

Greece has increased its movements to counter Turkish aggression. Last year, since August, Greece held independent defence exercises with the United States, France and United Arab Emirates (UAE). In November, Egypt, Cyprus, France and the UAE also participated in the Mediterranean Sea’s multinational exercises. Saudi Arabia had joined the practices as an observer. These developments are considered part of the Greek efforts to form a comprehensive front with its allies to stop Turkish activities in the region.

The increasing Turkish domination in Africa and the Mediterranean Sea region have not gone down well with countries like Egypt. Therefore, to counter the Turkish actions, Egypt has started cooperating with the adversaries of Turkey. These include countries like Israel, UAE and Greece. Last year, Egypt and Greece even signed an agreement regarding the oil reserves in the Mediterranean Sea region. Discussions are being held consistently between Greece and Egypt’s leadership, and the movements to form a front against Turkey have gained momentum. The meeting held on Saturday is believed to a part of the same efforts.