Egypt, Cyprus and Greece are set to send a pointed message to Ankara this week, with a trilateral summit between Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Nikos Christodoulides and Kyriakos Mitsotakis widely seen as a direct response to Turkey’s attempts to drive a wedge between the three nations.
The leaders will meet in El Alamein, Egypt, on Tuesday, September 8.
The high-stakes talks come at a time of febrile geopolitical tension across the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, hot on the heels of the signing of the so-called Mecca Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey — a defence pact Ankara had reportedly tried, and failed, to rope Egypt into as well.
Cyprus’s President Christodoulides was keen to talk up ties with Cairo ahead of the summit.
“You know we have excellent relations with Egypt. This is a trilateral meeting during which two issues will dominate — first, developments in the region, and second, how Cyprus, Egypt and Greece, through a positive approach, can further strengthen our trilateral cooperation, while also helping to create conditions of security and cooperation in this region of particular geopolitical importance,” he said.
Defence, Energy And Turkey’s “Revisionist” Stance On The Agenda
Defence and energy cooperation between the three states, the controversial Turkey-Libya memorandum, and what’s being described as Ankara’s revisionist posturing are all expected to feature heavily in the talks.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has struck a delicate balance, insisting he favours calm waters — but not at the expense of Greece’s defence readiness.
“The defence industry has become a dual geopolitical weapon. The only real power that can be produced is a country’s defence shield,” Gerapetritis said. “There is tension that has been generated mainly by Turkey’s rhetoric and by the establishment of the marine parks — we believe structured dialogue must continue, and that is the direction we will keep moving in.”
