Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias continued his trip to brief Mediterranean countries on Turkey’s agreement on hydrocarbons exploration with the Tripoli government in Libya Monday by visiting Malta and having talks with Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg.
Dendias arrived in Malta from Egypt, where he had talks with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday. Egypt, like Greece, is directly affected by the hydrocarbons deal, which is based on the legally contested Maritime Boundary Treaty signed by the same parties in November 2019. In fact, Turkey and Libya are non-neighboring countries: In between are Egypt and Greece, Turkish claims that Greek islands have no continental shelf notwithstanding.
Dendias left Cairo convinced that Egypt remains wary about Turkish actions, partly because of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“My country faces an unprecedented hostile rhetoric by Turkey almost on a daily basis. A purely unacceptable rhetoric. We believe that revisionism has no place in the 21st century,” Dendias said following his meeting with Borg.