Greek Parliament Ratifies Maritime Deal with Egypt

This noon, the Greek parliament ratified the maritime border demarcation agreement with Egypt, amid escalating tension with Turkey over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

The agreement was ratified with the support of a majority of deputies in the Greek Parliament. The agreement was reached between the two countries this month, and the Egyptian parliament has already ratified it.

The agreement between Athens and Cairo has angered Turkey, which says it is encroaching on its continental shelf. This agreement also overlaps with the agreement to demarcate the maritime border between Turkey and Al-Wefaq government in Libya last year.

The Egypt-Greece deal has established partial demarcation of the sea boundaries between the two countries, and that the remaining demarcation would be achieved through consultations.

Tensions have risen in the east Mediterranean when Turkey deployed, on August 10th, warships in a region over which Greece claims sovereignty, fueling tension with Athens and European anxiety.

Earlier, the European Union Top Representative Josep Borrell, called on Ankara to “immediately” stop its operations to explore for gas in the Mediterranean.