Greece and Egypt sign MoU on aeronautics, maritime search & rescue
Greece and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Cairo on Tuesday in the fields of Aeronautics and Maritime Search and Rescue.
Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, who signed the Memorandum with his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Zaki stressed that it “defines the limits of jurisdiction and areas of responsibility for Search and Rescue between Greece and Egypt, which are identical to the Athens and Cairo FIRs respectively.”
As is well known, Turkey disputes the boundaries of the Athens FIR, while the maritime space agreed on Tuesday covers the area included in the illegal Turkey-Libya memorandum. It is “in contrast, the so-called ‘Memoranda of Cooperation’ between Turkey and the Government of Tripoli, which constitute illegal, unlawful, invalid and destabilizing behaviors,” Panagiotopoulos added.
“This Agreement is based on the commitment to international law, including the Law of the Sea, and to the principles of the United Nations Charter, with a view to respecting international legitimacy and promoting peace and stability in the Mediterranean and beyond,” he said.
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias noted that during the meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, the developments in Libya and the ongoing Turkish provocativeness were discussed. Shoukry noted, among other things, that “the cooperation between the two countries is based on the framework of respect for international law.”
The Greek foreign minister also met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, “in the context of our regular contacts and common approach on a wide range of issues,” Dendias tweeted. They discussed “the long standing Greece-Egypt strategic relations, developments in Eastern Mediterranean, Libya and the Middle East.”
In Cairo, Varvitsiotis signed an agreement with the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Ambassador for European Affairs Ihab Nasr on the employment of 5,000 seasonal workers in the agricultural sector, a signing event also attended by Dendias. [AMNA]
