Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discussed Monday the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as a number of crises in this region, namely in Libya.
In a joint statement issued after a teleconference meeting among the foreign ministers of the five countries, they highlighted the strategic importance of enhancing and intensifying their political consultations, while denouncing the ongoing Turkish escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The meeting was held within the framework of a "3+1" formula joined by the UAE.
According to the joint declaration, the parties “denounced the ongoing Turkish illegal activities in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone and its territorial waters, as they represent a clear violation of international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
Turkey in less than a year has made six attempts to illegally conduct drilling operations in Cyprus’ maritime zones.
The foreign ministers also denounced the escalation of Turkey’s violations of the Greek national airspace and condemned Turkey’s use of civilians to illegally cross into Greece, whether by land or by boat. They "urged Turkey to fully respect the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of all States in their maritime zones in the Eastern Mediterranean."
Moreover, they condemned Turkey's military interference in Libya, urging Turkey to fully respect the UN arms embargo and to stop the influx of foreign fighters from Syria to Libya.
"These developments constitute a threat to the stability of Libya's neighbors in Africa as well as in Europe," read the statement.
The top diplomats called on the Libyan parties to observe a truce during the holy month of Ramadan and stressed their commitment to work towards a comprehensive political solution to the Libyan crisis under the auspices of the United Nations.
They also expressed keenness for the resumption of the meetings of the three tracks of the Berlin process (Political, military, economic and financial), and they agreed to continue their consultations on a regular basis.
