Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry along with his Greek counterpart on Tuesday urged Turkey to respect international law and stop its provocations in the eastern Mediterranean region.
"Turkey's illegal actions, which defy international law, endanger the security of the region, and are absolutely condemnable in this regard,” stressed Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, and called them "a gross violation of the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, as exercised by Turkey."
The joint press conference came following a meeting between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendia’s and Egypt’s Sameh Shoukry at the Foreign Ministry in Athens where they discussed challenges and bilateral relations.
During their meeting, Shoukry said that both men “talked about the challenges that exist in the region and that there must be respect for international law, to stop these provocations and other actions that are not in line with international law," and underlined how "all of our discussions were about enhancing stability in the region."
Dendias characterised his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart "as particularly constructive, useful" and pointed out that Egypt and Greece have always been bonded by a traditional and long-standing friendship. He noted that he had a useful exchange of views on issues of bilateral, trilateral, regional but also international importance.
The Greek Foreign Minister stressed that both ministers "emphasise the best possible use of energy resources, and we both seek to create the best possible prerequisites and conditions to that effect," Dendias noted.
Furthermore, the Greek Foreign Affairs Minister emphasised Egypt's "important mediating role in supporting the Palestinian peace process, in stabilizing the situation in Libya and in combating international terrorism."