AT Malta The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued his contacts yesterday Nikos Dendias as part of its efforts to inform the countries of the region about new Turkish-Libyan memorandum and its impact on stability Eastern Mediterranean. Mr. Dendias’ stopover in Malta came after his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart on Sunday. Sameh Shukri in Cairo, where consensus was confirmed on a number of issues. Mr Dendias left Cairo with the belief that Egypt is still negative about Turkey’s efforts. Egyptian fears about the possibility of “getting” Libya, where the “Muslim Brotherhood” will have significant power, outweigh any compromises that the Turks make in the field of maritime zones. In any case, the game in Libya remains open and no settlement is in sight. The next question is whether the government of Tripoli will take the next step, which is to issue permits to the TPAO to search inside the Libyan EEZ based on the drafting of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum. However, at the same time, Greece and Egypt continue to strengthen their defense relationship. At the end of November, the 12th Medusa will take place, based in Alexandria and deploying forces in the area north and northwest of Egypt. At the same time, the exchange of officers trained in Greece or Egypt continues. The latest example is the training of Egyptians and Cypriots in the infantry school in Chalkis, as reported yesterday by the HEC.

From Valletta, where he met with his colleague Jan Borg, the Foreign Minister reiterated that revisionism has no place in the 21st century. Mr. Dendias noted that Greece “faces Turkey’s unprecedented aggressive rhetoric almost daily.” Mr. Dendias expressed his satisfaction that, in his words, “the EU, Cyprus, the US, Germany, France, Italy, Egypt and many other countries have taken a public position and rejected the recent signing of the ‘memorandum’ between the government of Tripoli and Turkey.” The Minister of Foreign Affairs also referred to the recent statement by the Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abella, at the UN General Assembly, where Valletta’s position was emphasized on the need for Libya to transition to a period of greater stability “without interference from foreign actors.”

Egyptian fears about the possibility of “getting” Libya, where the “Muslim Brotherhood” will have significant power, outweigh any compromises that the Turks make in the field of maritime zones.

Common problems

Mr. Dendias also referred to Greece and Malta’s respect for international law and the principles of the UN Charter, which “relates to respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries and the prohibition of violence, the use of force and the threat of force.” strength’. These authorities are being threatened and violated, Mr. Dendias said, also referring to the situation in Ukraine after the Russian invasion. The Foreign Minister congratulated Malta on becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2023-2024, recalling that Greece claims the same for the period 2025-2026. The Minister of Foreign Affairs called migration and its consequences one of the common problems of Greece and Malta. At the same time, he recalled that the two countries have several interests that converge both at the EU level. as well as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and could cooperate more closely.