Executives of the Greek delegation speak of “productive discussions” during which the two sides presented their positions on the Monastery of St Catherine of Sinai, following the conclusion of meetings on the future of the Monastery in Cairo.

“We explained the political dimension and with all due respect to the Egyptian Justice, we said that the issues of international law must be taken into account when it comes to world heritage and we asked that the status quo of the historic monastery be protected,” Greek delegation officials said shortly before leaving the Egyptian capital. They added that the Egyptians had analysed the complex legal aspects of the case. According to reports, the two sides agreed to have a further technical analysis in the coming days in order to come up with a clear proposal on how to proceed with the case.

In any case, the consultations reaffirmed the intention and will, both on the part of President Sisi and the Egyptian government, to continue unhindered and protect the Greek Orthodox character of the monastery. According to reports, the ownership status is to be discussed at a later stage.

For its part, the Greek delegation called on the Egyptians to work towards maintaining the status quo and the continuity of the monastery, which cannot happen if it is deprived of the land surrounding it.