An official visit to Athens is being held today by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelati as part of his meeting with his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis And while this summer caused a partial trick in Greek -Egyptian relations, with the backdrop of the case of the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai.
Specifically, Mr Abdelati is expected to cross the threshold of the neoclassical of Queen Sofia at noon, followed by statements by the two ministers at the end of the expanded talks between the two delegations.
In a “hot August” for the Eastern Mediterranean basin, on the Greek side there is a restrained optimism as to the settlement of the issue that arose with its ownership regime Sinaimitigating the distance caused between the two countries in recent months, regarding the historical pilgrimage of Christianity. Already, the fact that today’s meeting the two foreign ministers have talked to the telephone, contributes to maintaining the open channels of communication between them, while Mr Abdelati’s visit is on the initiative of his country. Movement, which translates as a strong will of Cairo to maintain the strategic nature of its diplomatic relationship with Athens, in a period of wider geopolitical rearrangements.
Outstanding pending
Although, “we have not lost” the Holy Monastery, which maintains its Greek -Orthodox character smoothly, “Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said in the News, however,” this is not enough. The issues of ownership of worship, legal personality and renewal of the monastic community remain open, “Mr Gerapetritis continued, announcing that they would be part of the agenda of today’s meeting. At all by accident, the Ministry of Education suggested before the summer respite of the House of Representatives to “recognize legal personality in the representation of the monastery in Greece”, as this move “helps the Greek position”, according to the Minister responsible, Sofia Zacharakis.
In any case, “Greece is discussing with Egypt on the subject of the monastery, because this is also the role of the guardian who has historically been awarded us. I think there is a common will to settle the extremely complex legal issues that are pending, “George Gerapetritis noted, adding that” with Egypt not only connects us with a strategic relationship but also an extensive understanding of regional and international issues “. Indeed, the climate of synagogue is also attempting to be imprinted in writing, that is, at the level of text and while “the institutional recognition of the substance and the legal securing of the continuity of the monastery would be a unique historical intersection in 15 centuries of operation”, as the Greek Foreign Minister observed.
Middle East and Gaza
At the same time, the wider geopolitical instability, which also flows into the Southeast Mediterranean, are employed by both Greece and Egypt, while the situation in the Middle East and especially in Gaza, regional developments and primarily Libya and the migrant crisis. In this light, the recent tripartite meeting of Italy, Turkey and Libya reflects today’s bilateral talks, especially when the Egyptian Foreign Minister paid the previous 24 -hour visit to the US, as well as a meeting with his head.
Especially when Athens and Cairo share a common perspective on Libya’s mobility in relation to Turkey, while maintaining both high levels of contact with the government in Benghazi. Indeed, the Greek Foreign Minister left an open window of re -launching talks and maritime spatial planning, stating that “in relation to marine zones, we are willing to restart the technical dialogue for the delineation of the demarcation,” Turkish-Libyan memorandum.