Egypt promotes maritime partnership against Turkey
El Sisi decided to go head to head with Erdogan. Established a naval alliance against Turkey that includes Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and France to tackle Turkish moves in Libya and the Mediterranean
Ami Rohx Dumba | 1/06/2020 Contact author
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Egypt has announced an alliance against Turkey that includes Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and France to tackle Turkish moves in Libya and the Mediterranean. The announcement was made during a virtual meeting with the foreign ministers of these countries on May 11.
In a joint statement released shortly after the meeting, the Fifth Alliance said it would focus on confrontation with Turkish moves in the territorial waters of Cyprus, where Turkey conducted "illegal" drilling in the Mediterranean under the sovereignty of Cyprus. The alliance has also condemned Turkey's aggravated violations of Greek airspace. The EU has condemned on May 16 the drilling operations of the Turkish drilling vessel in Cyprus since last April.
The Alliance also criticized Turkish operations in Libya, and the Memorandum of Understanding on the demarcation of Mediterranean borders and the understanding of security and military cooperation, signed in November 2019 between Turkey and the Libyan Government (GNA) led by Faiz al-Saraj. On May 14, the Turkish oil company applied to GNA for permission to start drilling on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also discusses with Serraj on May 17 the execution steps. The Alliance's joint statement concluded that it would continue to hold regular consultations.
The statement raised concerns in Ankara, as the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a May 11 statement that "Ankara has succeeded in disrupting the sabotage programs of these countries in the region and their efforts to support the Futists." Egypt and the UAE support LNA in Libya, when Egyptian President Abdul Fathis al-Sisi announced in December 2019, "We support LNA and will not abandon it."
https://www.israeldefense.co.il/he/node/43310 translted by google