UAE says Egypt-Greece maritime demarcation deal ‘victory over law of jungle'

CAIRO – 7 August 2020: UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash on Friday welcomed an agreement on the demarcation of maritime borders signed recently between Egypt and Greece, saying it is a “victory for international law over the law of the jungle”.

Gargash’s tweet comes after the Turkish Foreign Ministry voiced rejection of the deal the foreign ministers of both countries have signed on Thursday in Cairo, saying that Ankara considers this agreement as void, as it does not recognize any maritime borders between Egypt and Greece.

“The international legal system is the firm foundation that manages the relations between the countries and preserves security and peace,” Gargash said.

“Civilized nations cannot legitimize political intrusion at the expense of the foundations that govern international relations”.

Also, Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the signing of the agreement.

In a statement, the Bahraini foreign ministry described the deal as an important and successful move made by the two countries to enhance bilateral constructive cooperation, achieve joint benefits from the available resources in the economic zone of each of them, open up new horizons of economic cooperation and meet the aspirations of their peoples for further progress and prosperity, state news agency BNA reported.

The foreign ministry lauded the deal, which is in line with the rules of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), expressing appreciation for the tremendous efforts exerted by Egypt and Greece to bolster bilateral economic cooperation with the aim of serving the interests of their friendly peoples

After holding official talks in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, announced signing a maritime demarcation agreement to establish an exclusive economic zone between their two countries.

In a press conference held after the talks, Shoukry said the agreement reflects further boost in relations between Egypt and Greece, as they both work on continuing economic cooperation and coordination in various fields.

For his part, Dendias affirmed continuous coordination with Egypt at the highest levels and said agreements between Egypt and Greece are in line with the international law.

The demarcation agreement signed between Egypt and Greece will contribute to attracting investments for search and exploration, Hamdy Abdel Aziz, official spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, told Egypt Today.

This will help, through signing petroleum agreements, intensify exploration efforts to extract the underlying resources in the Mediterranean Sea, said Abdel Aziz.