A joint statement was issued today after the foreign ministers of Egypt, Cyprus, Greece and France met alongside the UAE and discussed developments in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The joint statement stated that "based on prior consultations and periodic coordination between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece alongside France within the framework of the" 3 + 1 "formula, the foreign ministers of those countries held a remote meeting on May 11, 2020 joined by their counterpart from the United Arab Emirates to discuss the latest developments Of concern in the eastern Mediterranean as well as a number of regional crises that threaten peace and stability in that region. "
In the statement, the ministers stressed the strategic importance of strengthening and intensifying their political consultations and praised the results of the Cairo meeting held on January 8, 2020 to enhance security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and expressed deep concern about the current escalation and ongoing provocative moves in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The ministers condemned the illegal Turkish moves taking place in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus and its territorial waters, as they represent a clear violation of international law in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is the sixth attempt by Turkey in less than a year to conduct illegal excavations within the maritime areas of Cyprus.
The ministers also condemned the escalation of Turkey's violations of Greek airspace including the flight over populated areas and territorial waters in violation of international law. Moreover, the ministers condemned the systematic exploitation of civilians by Turkey and the endeavor to push them towards crossing the Greek land and sea borders illegally.
The ministers demanded that Turkey fully respect the sovereignty of all countries and their sovereign rights in their marine areas in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Ministers reaffirmed that both the Memorandum of Understanding on the delineation of maritime borders in the Mediterranean and the Memorandum of Understanding on security and military cooperation signed in November 2019 between Turkey and Fayez al-Sarraj are inconsistent with international law and the United Nations arms embargo on Libya and undermine regional stability.
The Ministers pointed out that the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the delineation of maritime borders in the Mediterranean violates the sovereign rights of third countries and does not conform to the law of the sea and cannot have any legal implications for third countries.
The Ministers expressed their deep regret over the escalation of military confrontations in Libya, reminding them of the obligation to refrain from any foreign military intervention in Libya as agreed in the conclusions of the Berlin Conference.
In this regard, the ministers strongly condemned the Turkish military intervention in Libya and urged Turkey to fully respect the UN arms embargo and stop the flow of foreign fighters from Syria to Libya, as this poses a threat to the stability of neighboring countries in Africa as well as in Europe.
The ministers called on the Libyan parties to observe a truce during the holy month of Ramadan, and affirmed their commitment to work towards a comprehensive political solution to the Libyan crisis under the auspices of the United Nations. They also expressed their keenness to resume the three tracks of the Berlin process, "political, military, economic and financial".
The ministers agreed to continue their consultations at a regular pace.