Shoukry, Greek FM Hold Phone Talks over Egyptian-Libyan Maritime Decree

Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias spoke on the phone with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday, he said in a tweet, "in the context of continuous Greek-Egyptian coordination."

As Dendias said, their discussion "focused among others on security and stability in the SE Mediterranean, including yesterday's decree issued by President El-Sisi."

The reference related to a presidential decree signed on Tuesday by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi delimiting the borders of Egyptian maritime zones on the western boundary with Libya, according to MENA news agency.

The decision, fully ignoring the illegal Turkish-Libyan agreement, was published in the Government Gazette. According to the decree, Egypt's territorial waters start at a terrestrial point on the Egypt-Libya borders, Point 1, and for a distance of 12 nautical miles, reaching up to Point 8 in the north. The specific territorial line moves to and stops south from the middle line between Crete and Egypt.