Egypt's newly appointed ambassador to Greece, Murad Murad, has flatly rejected Turkey's push for a maritime boundary dea...

Egypt's newly appointed ambassador to Greece, Murad Murad, has flatly rejected Turkey's push for a maritime boundary deal with Cairo and condemned the Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum that has been rattling the Eastern Mediterranean. Speaking to a Greek newspaper, Murad said Egypt has no interest in discussing a maritime agreement with Ankara. Turkey's Defence Ministry had argued that such a deal could give Egypt over 15,000 square kilometres of additional maritime jurisdiction compared to any arrangement it might reach with Greece. Cairo's response was unambiguous. "The Turks are trying to justify to us the agreement they made with the Libyans, but in no way are we discussing a Turkish-Egyptian agreement. We condemn the Turkish-Libyan memorandum," Murad said. He described the Greece-Egypt relationship as one built on friendship and sincere cooperation. The ambassador's remarks carry significant diplomatic weight. Egypt and Greece signed a maritime boundary agreement in August 2020, which Athens said expanded its maritime rights by 38,000 square kilometres. That deal has since served as a model, with Mitsotakis citing it at the UN Security Council as proof that maritime disputes can be resolved through international law rather than unilateral arrangements. Libya's eastern parliament approved the 2019 Turkey-Libya memorandum on October 20, reigniting the dispute over maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights. The agreement has since been condemned by the EU, Israel, the United States, Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE, with the EU declaring it null and void. Turkey remains defiant, maintaining that its approach is consistent with international law, but with Egypt publicly and firmly aligning with Greece, Ankara's effort to build a regional coalition around its maritime claims appears to be losing ground. #Greece #EasternMediterranean #Turkey