Egypt strengthens relationship with Greece:Message to Turkey after Sisi-Erdogan handshake?

The recent visit of Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to Cairo reflected several indications regarding the development of economic and military cooperation between the two allies in the eastern Mediterranean, with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding for maritime cooperation between the two sides.

At the same time, the visit sent several messages to Turkey, Greece's regional rival, especially after the handshake that was described as “historic” between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the opening of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Dendias went to the Egyptian capital on Tuesday, November 22, accompanied by his country's Defense Minister, NikolaosPanagiotopoulos, at a time of escalating tensions between Athens and Ankara in the eastern Mediterranean region and the Aegean Sea islands, against the background of the migration crisis, the maritime border dispute, and the exploitation of gas and hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean. This is happening amid fierce competition between the countries of the region to provide Europe's energy needs with the advent of winter.

While Egypt announced on Wednesday, November 23, the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the field of air and sea search and rescue with Greece, Turkey criticized Athens for taking this step.

During a press conference with his Greek counterpart, Egyptian Foreign Minister SamehShoukry described his country's relationship with Greece as “advanced in recent years, until it has become a complete strategic relationship at the bilateral level.” He stressed the interest of the two sides in developing relations at the level of political, economic, security, and military coordination.

Second visit to strengthen relationships 

On the Greek foreign minister's second visit to Egypt in a few weeks, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid announced on Twitter, “Cairo hosted bilateral consultations between the Egyptian and Greek foreign ministers to discuss ways to develop bilateral relations and exchange views on issues of common concern.”

After signing the memorandum of understanding to enhance existing cooperation between the two sides in the eastern Mediterranean, the Greek minister explained that he discussed regional developments with Shoukry, most notably the “very fragile situation in Libya.”

“I briefed the Egyptian minister on the results of my recent visit to Libya. We agreed that we look forward to working with an elected Libyan government that is representative of the Libyans. I told him of the continued provocative Turkish statements and actions. Unfortunately, there have been no positive developments on this front since we last met,” Dendias added.

The Greek minister expressed his country's “deep appreciation for Egypt's continuous efforts to address irregular migration to the European Union.”

He said that Greece and Egypt “contribute, through their exemplary bilateral relations, to strengthening stability and security in the Mediterranean region, and act as a bridge linking the governments and peoples of Europe and Africa.”

“Another important example is the Europe-Africa Interconnection, which will transfer electricity from Africa to Europe. We look forward to strengthening this cooperation in other areas as well, including energy and of course renewable energy,” he added.

During Dendias' visit to Cairo, the two sides also took a step to enhance cooperation in confronting illegal immigration, as they signed an agreement for Greece to bring in seasonal workers from Egypt to help in the agricultural sector. 

The Greek minister pointed out that “this agreement is essential in strengthening economic cooperation between Greece and Egypt in the very important agricultural sector and encourages legal and regular migration.”

A message to Turkey

Regarding the message that the recent Egyptian-Greco memorandum of understanding sends to Turkey, the Greek foreign minister said during a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, “But we also send a clear message that our actions are always based on international standards. Under any circumstances, we never try to violate the sovereignty of other countries or their sovereign rights, in contrast to what others in the region are constantly doing.”

In his interview with JusoorPost, KarimMostafa, economic researcher and specialist in energy affairs at the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, said that “although the visit of the Greek foreign minister to Cairo comes within the framework of the mutual and intensive visits between the two parties, the general context and timing make it carry a great deal of importance and connotations.”

Mostafa added that “the importance of this visit, in particular, is that it comes nearly 42 days after a similar visit by the Greek foreign minister to Cairo on October 9,” which indicates what he described as “the diplomacy of frequent meetings.”

The researcher sees that “Turkey is the common denominator in the last two visits of the Greek foreign minister in October and November.”

“The first visit came in the wake of Ankara's signing of a number of agreements with the outgoing Government of National Unity in Libya. The second came in the wake of the handshake that took place between Presidents Sisi and Erdogan on the sidelines of the opening of the World Cup in Qatar,” he said.

“The visit and the accompanying statements from both sides carry messages of reassurance from Egypt to Greece, especially in light of the escalating statements of officials in Ankara, led by the Turkish president, about his desire to improve relations with Cairo,” Mostafa continued.

“Despite the remarkable Turkish efforts during the past years, the overall movement of Egyptian foreign policy indicates that any rapprochement with Turkey will not be a substitute for the strategic relationship with Greece, especially due to the understandings linking them in the eastern Mediterranean region,” he added.

The researcher pointed out that “The Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement, if successful, could affect the transformations in the eastern Mediterranean region. It could also be a prelude to Egyptian mediation between Turkey and Greece to settle disputes and outstanding files, especially with regard to the demarcation of the maritime borders.”

Mostafa believes that “Ankara will intensify its efforts to complete the rapprochement in light of its desire to overcome the isolation imposed on it and its need to ensure a calming of tensions with major and influential regional powers.”

Maneuvers in the Mediterranean

Coinciding with the Greek foreign minister's visit to Cairo, Egyptian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki signed a memorandum of understanding with his Greek counterpart, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, in the field of air and sea search and rescue between the two countries on Wednesday, November 23.

Zaki expressed his pride in the partnership relations between Egypt and Greece in various military fields. He stressed “the keenness of the General Command of the Armed Forces to increase cooperation in various military fields of the two countries.”

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Osama Askar, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, met with Lieutenant General DimokritosZervakis, Chief of the Cypriot National Guard, on Friday, November 25, during his visit to attend the joint MEDUSA12 military exercise in the Mediterranean. The two sides discussed the activities and areas of military cooperation and the exchange of experiences in various military fields.

Askar affirmed Egypt's keenness to strengthen the frameworks of strategic cooperation between the Egyptian and Cypriot armed forces, while Zervakis expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Egyptian armed forces in laying the foundations for peace and stability at the regional and international levels.

A statement by the Cypriot Ministry of Defense stated that “the meeting discussed developments in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, in addition to issues affecting security and stability at the global and regional levels, such as the situation in Ukraine and Libya.”

The statement added that the progress made in implementing the bilateral defense cooperation program as well as the tripartite relations with Greece were reviewed. The two sides also affirmed the intention to expand cooperation between the armed forces in other sectors.

In turn, Major General Abdel MoneimGhaleb, a military expert at Nasser Military Academy, said, “The participation of regional and international forces in MEDUSA12 reflects the importance of the training theater in the eastern Mediterranean for more than one party. The holding of its 12th edition is a continuity that reflects the importance of the exercise as the most important military maneuver in this region.”

In his interview with Jusoor Post, he added, “MEDUSA12 confirms the nature of the multilateral strategic interests among the participating countries, Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus, and the consensus in positions and policies, especially with regard to the eastern Mediterranean.”

While the United States participated in the maneuvers hosted by Egypt over the past few days, the military expert confirmed that “MEDUSA12 sends messages regarding securing Egyptian strategic interests in the exclusive economic zone in the Mediterranean and reflects the American side's support for economic and defense cooperation between the countries participating in the training in this region.”

In their interview with Jusoor Post, the two experts agreed that “the tripartite cooperation between Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus has succeeded in recent years in encouraging several Arab and international parties to support this cooperative path based on achieving energy security and enhancing maritime security in the eastern Mediterranean.”

Mostafanoted that “cooperation between Egypt and Greece culminated in the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two parties in August 2020, which allowed them to consolidate their gains from the wealth of the eastern Mediterranean region.”

“The recent visit comes in light of a number of global and regional transformations, perhaps the most prominent of which is the Russian-Ukrainian war, which provided the eastern Mediterranean region with a great advantage as one of the options and alternatives for Europe in reducing its dependence on Russian natural gas,” he continued.

“This allows Egypt, Greece, and all members of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum to coordinate with each other to achieve the greatest possible benefit,” he added.