The initiative to ratify the illegal Turkey-Libya memorandum has ultimately backfired on Libya and Ankara. Following widespread condemnation from countries in the region and the European Union, Egypt has decided to break a long-standing taboo by resuming talks with Greece on effectively extending their partial delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

The announcement came after a telephone conversation between Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Having once again condemned the ratification of the memorandum and expressed their support for respect for the Law of the Sea, the two ministers announced that talks on the delimitation of maritime zones between their countries would resume on the basis of international maritime law.

This means discussions on extending the agreement east of the 28th meridian, where the 2020 agreement ended. At the time, Egypt was reluctant to enter into talks with Greece over maritime zones in which Turkey asserts claims, seeking to deny Kastellorizo any effect in the delimitation.

In the past, during Hosni Mubarak’s presidency, Egypt had left open the possibility of talks with Turkey which, in practice, would have concerned the appropriation of Greece’s continental shelf. Since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power, however, no such talks have taken place, despite pressure from some sections of Egypt’s foreign ministry bureaucracy and from Turkey itself, even after relations between Cairo and Ankara began to improve.

More recently, Ankara attempted to entice Egypt with the argument that, if it accepted Turkey’s “Blue Homeland” doctrine, it would “gain” a significant area of maritime territory. Such gains would, of course, have come from the “division” of another country’s continental shelf – that of Greece.

Egypt, by contrast, moved quickly in 2020 to reach an agreement with Greece on the partial delimitation of their EEZs, marking the first significant practical challenge to the Turkey-Libya memorandum. The agreement was, of course, secured in exchange for concessions by the Greek side regarding the principle that islands should be given full effect in maritime delimitation.

The agreement to resume Greece-Egypt talks, which means technical committees are expected to be established soon, is particularly significant. Regardless of their eventual outcome, the talks commit Egypt to the process and further restrict Turkey’s scope to draw Cairo into an alignment that would undermine Greece’s interests and sovereign rights.

The latest development also strengthens and deepens the strategic relationship between Greece and Egypt at a time of significant realignments across the wider region.

Egypt has made no secret of its anger since news of the memorandum’s ratification first emerged. This is not only because the agreement violates Egypt’s own maritime zones, but also because its ratification reflects Turkey’s efforts to expand its influence in Libya and establish itself as a leading player in the country’s political developments at a critical juncture.

Ankara is now seeking to build influence in eastern Libya as well, an area that until now has served as Egypt’s bridgehead.

The latest developments also show that, despite steps towards rapprochement between Turkey and Egypt, mutual suspicion and regional rivalry between the two countries remain. Cairo is not prepared to accept Turkey’s efforts to establish dominance not only across the wider region, but even in the Arab world.