“Greece threatens no one,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed in his remarks following the trilateral meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He added that “stability in no way means concession or tolerance of faits accomplis” and that Greece “is not afraid either to defend its positions with confidence or to engage in dialogue.”

The Prime Minister cited the Greece–Egypt agreement on the partial delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as an example, noting that it demonstrated in practice that maritime boundaries can be delimited through dialogue and respect for the sovereign rights of states.

As he said, the agreement demonstrated that “when there is political will, together with a commitment to international law, we can achieve mutually beneficial compromises while also strengthening stability in the region.”

“This was, is, and will continue to be our approach in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. Greece threatens no one. It seeks stability through functional relations based on international law. Stability in no way means concession or tolerance of faits accomplis. Therefore, Greece is not afraid either to defend its positions with confidence or to engage in dialogue,” he stressed.

Statements by the three leaders

New Greek initiative on freedom of navigation

The Prime Minister also announced new Greek initiatives at the UN Security Council concerning freedom of navigation.

“Unimpeded navigation and the rights of passage must always be respected,” he noted, stressing that for Greece, as a global maritime power, this issue is an absolute and enduring priority.

He said that during Greece’s presidency of the Security Council in one month, Athens plans to launch new initiatives to highlight the importance of freedom of navigation.

“Egypt’s stability is crucial to European interests”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis also referred to the role of Greece and Cyprus in strengthening EU–Egypt relations, noting that the two countries took the lead in efforts to establish the comprehensive strategic partnership.

“We had to make a major effort to convince our European allies that Egypt’s stability is absolutely crucial to European interests as well,” he said.

As he stressed, a strong European Union–Egypt relationship represents an “investment in the stability and prosperity of our common neighborhood.”

The meetings in Egypt

The Prime Minister earlier held a meeting with Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, followed immediately by an informal trilateral meeting with Nikos Christodoulides, at a time of conflicts and geopolitical realignments that make stable relations in the Eastern Mediterranean even more important.

Before the trip, the Prime Minister spoke of the “extremely dense web of relations” that Greece has developed in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf countries. These relations, he stressed, have been built to a large extent through personal trust with the leaderships of these countries.

He also described the role Greece can now play as a “bridge” between Europe, the Middle East and the Gulf countries.

The Mecca Agreement also falls within this context. Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that it is a development that “is worth monitoring,” while making clear that it “does not change the central priority of Greek foreign policy.”

Regarding a possible rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, he was even more explicit: “The fact that the Mecca Agreement may have potentially brought Saudi Arabia and Turkey closer does not mean that we automatically distance ourselves. Foreign policy is much more complex than that.”

The next step will come soon in Riyadh. The Prime Minister has already announced a visit to Saudi Arabia, aimed at reaffirming the strategic relationship between the two countries.