Greece and Egypt are set to resume negotiations on extending their maritime boundary east of the 28th meridian, a move t...

Greece and Egypt are set to resume negotiations on extending their maritime boundary east of the 28th meridian, a move that would bring Kastellorizo and its surrounding waters into a formally delimited Exclusive Economic Zone for the first time. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty agreed to restart talks in a phone call this week, following Egypt's sharp condemnation of Libya's ratification of the Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum. That memorandum, widely condemned by regional states and the EU, had drawn boundary lines that ignored the existence of Greek islands including Crete, Rhodes, and Kastellorizo entirely. The two countries signed a partial EEZ delimitation agreement in August 2020, covering the stretch between the 26th and 28th meridians. That deal was significant because it recognized the effect of Greek islands in drawing the boundary, directly contradicting the logic behind the Turkey-Libya memorandum. The area east of the 28th meridian, where Kastellorizo sits just a few kilometers off the Turkish coast, was deliberately left out of the 2020 agreement because Egypt was unwilling at the time to negotiate in waters where Turkey also asserts claims. Turkey had reportedly tried to pull Egypt toward its "Blue Homeland" doctrine, promising Cairo territorial gains that would have come directly at Greece's expense. Egypt rejected that approach, and the ratification of the Turkey-Libya memorandum appears to have hardened Cairo's position further. Egyptian officials have made clear their anger over the deal, which also encroaches on Egypt's own claimed maritime zones. Talks on extending the delimitation east of the 28th meridian are expected to lead quickly to the formation of technical committees. Even before any final agreement is reached, the resumption of negotiations locks Egypt into a process aligned with international maritime law and significantly narrows Turkey's ability to draw Cairo into an anti-Greek alignment in the Eastern Mediterranean. The development deepens the strategic relationship between Athens and Cairo at a moment of major regional realignment across the Eastern Mediterranean. ...