Μεταξύ άλλων επίκαιρων θεμάτων που αφορούν άμεσα ή έμμεσα Ελλάδα και Αίγυπτο, οι 2 χώρες καταδίκασαν τις ενέργειες της Τουρκίας τόσο στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο και τον Καύκασο όσο και στη Συρία.
Μεταξύ άλλων στο Κοινό Ανακοινωθέν της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας και της Αραβικής Δημοκρατίας της Αιγύπτου σημειώνεται: «Εκφράσαμε τη σοβαρή μας ανησυχία για τον γενικό αποσταθεροποιητικό και κακόβουλο ρόλο της Τουρκίας στην περιοχή της Μέσης Ανατολής, καθώς και στον Νότιο Καύκασο. Καταδικάσαμε έντονα τις συνεχιζόμενες παραβιάσεις του διεθνούς δικαίου από την Τουρκία στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο και την προσπάθειά της να σφετεριστεί την κυριαρχία και τα κυριαρχικά δικαιώματα της Ελλάδας και της Κύπρου. Η Ελλάδα και η Αίγυπτος καλούν την Τουρκία να σταματήσει αμέσως τις παράνομες και επιθετικές ενέργειές της, οι οποίες απειλούν τη σταθερότητα και την ασφάλεια στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο, δεσμεύονται να σέβονται το διεθνές δίκαιο, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του Δικαίου της Θάλασσας, και να απέχουν από την απειλή ή τη χρήση βίας, όπως ορίζεται στον Χάρτη των Ηνωμένων Εθνών».
Το κοινό ανακοινωθέν στην αγγλική γλώσσα:
Athens, 11 November 2020
Joint Statement
of the Governments of the Hellenic Republic and the Arab Republic of Egypt
We, the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi, met on November 11, 2020, in Athens, on the occasion of the official visit of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Greece.
We reaffirmed the importance we attach to our strategic relations, confirmed their excellent level and expressed our strong will to further deepen our dialogue and cooperation in all fields, especially within the context of the growing challenges in the region to the benefit of our countries and peoples.
The signing, on August 6, 2020, and entry into force of the Agreement on the partial delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones between our two countries is a clear proof of our common vision toward further promoting bilateral cooperation but also peace, stability and development in the wider region, on the basis of international law, good neighborly relations and peaceful settlement of disputes.
We agreed that result-oriented exchanges, initiatives and joint actions in every field of cooperation, including on defense, economy, energy, culture and people to people contacts, should be further enhanced, both on the bilateral level and within the regional and multilateral mechanisms of cooperation that both the Hellenic Republic and the Arab Republic of Egypt are parts of. Furthermore, we expressed our satisfaction on the level of our bilateral economic relations and expressed our commitment to further advancing exchanges and promoting trade, investments and tourism.
In this context, we stressed our readiness to further enhance our defense cooperation and explore new perspectives and possibilities in this field, with a view to addressing common challenges.
Αs founding members of the new regional International Organization, “East Mediterranean Gas Forum” (EMGF), we expressed our conviction that energy should be used effectively as a catalyst for peace, stability, development and closer cooperation among East Mediterranean countries. The signing of the Statute of the EMGF, in September 2020, by all seven founding members demonstrates tangibly this conviction.
We reaffirmed the importance of establishing the Euroafrica Interconnector electrical grid between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, as a project that promotes the trilateral cooperation and enhances the energy security not only of the countries involved but also of Europe itself, as it will create a highway for the transmission of significant amounts of electricity generated not only from gas fields but also from renewable energy sources in the Eastern Mediterranean.
We reiterated our support to the NOSTOS Program and to the joint efforts of each other’s Communities in their territory, so that they will be able to preserve and illustrate their identity through their Associations and keep being bridges of friendship between our countries and peoples.
We also assessed the outcome of the trilateral scheme of cooperation between Greece, Egypt and Cyprus, which serves the primordial goal of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region, having laid the foundation of a positive agenda, encompassing joint action in various fields with considerable value for our societies and economies.
We reiterated our strong commitment to International Law, including the Law of the Sea, the UN Charter and the principles enshrined therein, as the foundation of peace, security, good neighborly relations and peaceful resolution of disputes for all countries in the region.
We expressed our serious concern over Turkey’s overall destabilizing and malign role in the Middle East region, as well as in South Caucasus. We strongly condemned Turkey’s continued violations of international law in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its attempt to usurp Greece and Cyprus’ sovereignty and sovereign rights. Greece and Egypt call upon Turkey to cease immediately its illegal and aggressive actions, which threaten stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean, commit itself to respecting international law, including the Law of the Sea, and to abstain from the threat or use of force, as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations.
We reconfirmed our support to the efforts of the UN Secretary General aimed at the resumption of result – oriented negotiations for a settlement of the Cyprus question on the basis of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and the EU acquis.
We exchanged views over the latest developments regarding the situation in Libya and reiterated our support for a comprehensive Libya-owned political settlement in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions and the conclusions of the Berlin Process. In this context, we welcomed the Cairo Declaration of June 6, 2020, as well as the cease-fire agreement of 23 October 2020 and acknowledged the crucial role of Egypt in achieving the said goal. We also expressed our commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Libyan state, and rejected any foreign intervention in Libyan affairs, including through the transfer of Foreign Terrorist Fighters into Libya, in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017). In this regard, it is imperative that all foreign forces withdraw from Libya within 90 days as determined in the outcomes of the 5+5 JMC in Geneva.
On the Palestinian issue, we reiterated the need to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, in accordance with the relevant UN Resolutions, and the establishment of a sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian State on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace with all its neighbours. Furthermore, we welcomed the normalization announcements and agreements that have been recently declared between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan respectively, and hope to contribute towards attaining peace and stability in the Middle East.
As regards Syria, we agreed that the unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country should be safeguarded as cited in UNSCR 2254. In this vein, we condemn the Turkish occupation of Syrian territories and its attempts to impose forced demographic change, as well as its destructive role in the transfer of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters from Syria to other areas of conflict. A lasting political settlement on the basis of relevant UNSC Resolutions should be achieved, leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian governance in order to bring the whole crisis to an end.
We discussed the issue of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and looked into the challenges that it poses to the water management situation in Egypt and Sudan. We agreed on the necessity of a negotiated agreement, which will be legally binding and satisfy the needs of all parties.
We strongly condemn the recent terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, Nice and Vienna and we express concern about the exploitation of religion for aggressive ends. At the same time, we reiterate that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion or belief. We support intercultural and inter-religious relations, peaceful coexistence and dialogue and we strongly condemn acts that try to undermine it.
We also ask for full respect to monuments of historical value, especially those with universal character, acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Monument.
We re-emphasized the necessity to enhance our common efforts in combating the spread of terrorism and extremism and urged the international community, in particular the United Nations, to take further action, in accordance with International Law, against all terrorist groups, regardless of their form or ideology, as well against all actors that provide material or moral support to terrorist groups.
We agreed that the refugee and migration flows pose a major challenge to both countries and other countries in the region and need a concerted effort to be dealt with.
Last but not least, we discussed the unprecedented challenge of COVID - 19 and the enormous impact the pandemic poses on social, economic and healthcare systems in both countries and globally. We expressed our joint commitment to continue our cooperation in order to face the pandemic and its socio-economic repercussions.
