Egypt has announced an anti-Turkey alliance that includes Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France to confront 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 issued shortly after the meeting, the five-party alliance said it will focus on confronting the Turkish moves in the territorial waters in Cyprus, where Turkey has been carrying out “illegal” excavations in the Mediterranean under Cyprus sovereignty.
The alliance also condemned Turkey’s escalated violations of Greek airspace.
The European Union condemned May 16 the drilling and exploration operations of the Turkish drill ship Yavuz that has been drilling off Cyprus since April.
On May 3, Greece condemned two Turkish aircraft flying over Greek islands, stating that the Turkish jets buzzed a Greek chopper transporting the minister of defense and army commander who were traveling over a small island in the Aegean Sea.
EU to Turkey on drilling: “Respect the sovereignty of Cyprus and Greece in their waters”
On May 14, the Turkish Petroleum Corporation submitted a request to the GNA to obtain permission to start exploration in the eastern side of the Mediterranean. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also discussed with Sarraj May 17 the executive steps of the above-mentioned memorandum.
The anti-Turkey alliance also condemned the ongoing war in Libya and the Turkish military support for the GNA, calling on Turkey to stop the flow of foreign fighters from Syria to Libya.
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