Egypt’s lawmakers approve maritime deal with Greece

The Egyptian-Greek transfer was broadly seen as a response to a disputed settlement between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based administration that spiked tensions within the East Mediterranean area.

The Turkey-Libya deal was broadly criticized by Egypt, Cyprus and Greece as an infringement on their financial rights within the oil-rich sea. The European Union says it’s a violation of intentional regulation that threatens stability within the area.

The Egypt-Greece deal has established “partial demarcation of the ocean boundaries between the 2 international locations, and that the remaining demarcation could be achieved by means of consultations,” the MENA information company reported.

Egypt’s Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Al known as the deal “very vital” and mentioned it’s “in line with worldwide regulation.”

He mentioned the settlement with Greece comes amid tensions within the East Mediterranean area and “tried provocations by some international locations.” He was apparently referring to Turkey, which stands on the opposing facet in Libya’s years-long battle that has was a proxy battle.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan known as the Egypt-Greece settlement “nugatory,” vowing to maintain his disputed pact with Tripoli authorities in place.

Following the Aug. 6 deal, Turkey deployed a seismic analysis vessel to prospect for potential oil and fuel reserves in waters that Athens claims are positioned over Greece’s continental shelf.

That led Greece to position its armed forces on excessive alert and ship warships to the spot, demanding the Turkish vessels’ withdrawal. The Greek and Turkish navies have been engaged in a recreation of brinkmanship in waters between the Greek island of Crete, Cyprus and Turkey.

Turkey has accused Greece of making an attempt to exclude it from the advantages of oil and fuel finds within the Aegean Sea and Japanese Mediterranean. It argues that Greek islands shouldn’t be included in calculating maritime zones of financial curiosity — a place Greece says contradicts worldwide regulation.

Greece has round 6,000 islands and smaller islets within the Aegean and Ionian Seas, greater than 200 of them inhabited.

On the signing ceremony in Cairo, Egypt’s International Minister Sameh Shukry mentioned the deal “permits Egypt and Greece every to maneuver forward with maximizing their advantages from sources obtainable on this unique financial zone, specifically promising oil and fuel reserves.”

Greek International Minister Nikos Dendias hailed the deal as “an exemplary settlement,” saying “it’s the exact opposite of the unlawful, invalid and legally non-existent memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Tripoli.”

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