Greece, Cyprus and Egypt are holding a trilateral summit in El Alamein, Egypt, on Tuesday, with regional stability and security at the center of discussions amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are expected to discuss developments across the wider region and ways to strengthen cooperation among the three countries.
The meeting comes as Turkey has issued a new warning that it will not remain inactive in response to what it considers hostile actions in the region.
Defense cooperation and Turkey
Greece and Cyprus are seeking to exchange views with Egypt on regional security, particularly given Cairo’s important role in the region and the recent signing of the Mecca defense agreement involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
The Greek side is expected to seek further information from Egypt about the new defense cooperation among the three countries and the reasons why Cairo has remained outside the agreement.
Mitsotakis said during a press conference at the Thessaloniki International Fair that there were still many details about the Mecca agreement that were unknown and described it as a development worth monitoring. He also announced plans to visit Riyadh in the future.
The trilateral talks are also expected to address what Greece describes as a recent escalation in Turkish activity in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
The latest incident cited by the Greek side was an aerial confrontation involving Greek fighter jets after two armed Turkish F-16s violated the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR).
The discussions take place against the backdrop of a new public warning by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Monday that Turkey would not remain inactive toward actions it considers hostile in the region. A Turkish bill concerning the so-called Blue Homeland doctrine is also reportedly being prepared.
Greece and Egypt deepen strategic ties
Mitsotakis and el-Sisi are also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting before the trilateral summit as Athens seeks to further strengthen its strategic relationship with Cairo.
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis has described Greece as a driving force within the European Union in efforts to deepen relations with Egypt and facilitate important economic support measures for the Egyptian economy following the effects of the Iran crisis and previous crises.
The relationship extends beyond defense and regional security to energy cooperation. The two leaders are expected to discuss GREGY, an electricity interconnection project co-financed by the European Union.
Migration will also be on the bilateral agenda, along with developments in Libya, where efforts are underway to reach a political solution and unify the divided country.
Regional developments and the United Nations
The leaders are expected to discuss broader regional developments, with particular focus on the situation in Iran and the escalating dispute between Turkey and Israel.
The meeting is also expected to address Greece’s upcoming presidency of the United Nations Security Council, which begins on October 1, with Athens seeking to promote issues of mutual interest.
The three foreign ministers — George Gerapetritis of Greece, Konstantinos Kompos of Cyprus and Badr Abdelatty of Egypt — will participate in the discussions.
Gerapetritis and Abdelatty have held a series of phone conversations ahead of the summit, exchanging views on developments in the region and ways to strengthen the trilateral framework between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
The Turkish foreign minister had also visited El Alamein in mid-August for talks with his Egyptian counterpart and el-Sisi, shortly after the Mecca agreement was signed.
Cyprus-Israel ties add to regional backdrop
The summit is also taking place shortly before Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to visit Cyprus on Thursday for talks with Christodoulides on strengthening relations between Nicosia and Tel Aviv.
The Greek, Cypriot and Egyptian leaders are scheduled to make joint statements at 2:30 p.m. following the meeting, after which the Greek delegation is expected to return to Athens.
