The difficult task of rejecting the ‘Arab bazaar’ for the Sinai Monastery of Sinai The Greek delegation, which will go to the new Egyptian capital, headed by the Foreign Minister, will take over Cairo. George Gerapetritis. The Egyptian side is trying to display as a major concession the maintenance of monks’ stay as “guests” in the places where the monastery has been operating in the last 1,500 years.
Cairo is expected to meet the two Foreign Ministers, George Gerapetritis and M. Abdelatias well as expert groups on both sides. The Greek team led by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education George Kalatzis, had participated in the deal in the negotiation between the Monastery and the South Sinai Government for the December settlement, which explicitly provided for the recognition of property rights in the monastery. However, with the following approaches, the settlement, although it was agreed and even welcomed by both leaders during their meeting on May 7 in Athens, was never signed by Egypt.
As they all show, Cairo expected the issuance of the court ruling to now invoke the “judicial commitment”, with which they either confiscate remote possessions of the monastery or is alienated by its ownership rights for all areas and buildings inside and outside the walls.
The Egyptian side, by public placementshe has given the mark of the line to follow, citing the court’s ruling. It is not known, however, whether the settlement that had been achieved to make some adjustments, or whether it will request a new negotiation from a zero basis, where the starting point will now be the court ruling and the abolition of the ownership rights of the monastery, will be on the basis of the discussions.
The Greek side cannot come to this subtle negotiation, except with the “red line” to maintain and ensure its operation Singleof its pilgrimage and Orthodox character, which is directly linked to the ownership status, as it was agreed on settlement and As reflected in the UNESCO monastery registration document as a monument to the World Heritage Site.
Athens should insist that, at least, spaces and buildings inside and around the walls will be attributed to the ownership of the monastery as a legal person now (so far appeared in the name of the Archbishop), and a compromise for the areas around the monastery. With such an arrangement, the monastery will lose its remote possessions, which the Egyptian government could also put forward those who criticize the interior.
Most importantly, however, in today’s debate the discussion is perceived by Egyptian Government that good relations with Greece They are an equal relationship and not a relationship that is offered for blackmail and such bazaars and imposition of accomplished. Perhaps in Cairo they had not calculated the reaction of Athens to this approach, nor the mobilization of the Orthodox world, which, if imposed, will not be limited to simple announcements. The echo of Cairo’s movement against the monastery will reach both Brussels and Washington, which is particularly sensitive to the Christian presence in the Middle East and the wider region.
For Athens, relations with Egypt and President Sissi They are strategic, and together with relations with Israel, they are a powerful pillar of Greece’s political alliances to prevent and prevent Turkish aggression. And it is obvious that this is burdened by today’s negotiation, as no one wishes to injure relations on the occasion of an issue that can be resolved on the basis of international standards and good faith among states.
The expectation of all is that, at the last minute, Cairo will realize that this move, which serves business interests of Pharaonic -type tourist utilities And it “caresses” the ears of not only the nationalists but also of fanatical Muslims, leads to the uprooting of a living Orthodox monument after 1,500 years, depriving Egypt itself the image of the largest Arab Muslim country, in which other religions are respected.
Shipment to Egypt: Nikos Meletis