Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias agreed during a meeting in Cairo on Sunday on the illegality of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the prime ministers of Turkey and Libya, saying it violates the 2015 Skhirat political agreement.

 

The MoU was signed between Turkey and the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord Fayez Al-Sarraj on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

During the Cairo visit, Dendias and Shoukry discussed bilateral relations and developments in the region including those in the Eastern Mediterranean with relation to the Turkish-Libyan agreement.

 

“The ministers also discussed the negative impacts of the Turkish intervention in Libya and its effect on political settlement in the country,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

 

The two sides also discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations in various fields, as well as regional and international issues of common concern including developments in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.

 

They also discussed counterterrorism and illegal immigration.

 

The foreign ministers also discussed the Middle East peace process, stressing their commitment to the two-state solution to achieve peace in the region.

 

The Egyptian FM praised the current level of relations and cooperation between Cairo and Athens in various fields, referring to the positive results of the bilateral meeting held between the Egyptian president and Greek prime minister, as well as the trilateral summit between Egypt, Greece and Cyprus in Cairo in October 2019.

 

Greece had slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, describing him as the "main violator of international law in the region" over his recent statements on continued exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

 

In a statement, the Greek foreign ministry condemned Erdogan's statements at the opening ceremony of the TANAP gas pipeline as Erdogan announced his intention to commission the Turkish Stream gas pipeline on 8 January 2020.