Türkiye ready to sign maritime deal with Egypt: Defense Ministry

Türkiye is ready to sign a maritime boundary agreement with Egypt that could expand Cairo’s maritime jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Speaking following the ministry’s weekly press briefing, spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk reiterated Ankara’s willingness to conclude an agreement based on mutual interests.

“If Egypt signs such an agreement with our country, it is assessed that it would gain more than 15,000 square kilometers of additional maritime jurisdiction compared with a potential agreement with Greece,” Aktürk said.

The ministry also welcomed the Libyan Parliament’s Oct. 20 approval of a maritime boundary agreement signed between Türkiye and Libya in 2019.

Libya’s House of Representatives announced last week that it unanimously approved the agreement, reversing its previous rejection of the deal and a decision to sever political ties with Ankara, according to a statement from the Libyan Parliament.

Parliament also repealed Resolution No. 1 of 2020, which rejected the ratification of two memorandums of understanding signed between Libya and Türkiye. Lawmakers additionally voted unanimously to overturn Resolution No. 6 of 2020, which called for severing political relations with Ankara.

In July, Egypt’s Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher met his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler in Ankara. The two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for defense cooperation, the ministry announced after the meeting.

Ankara and Cairo gradually rebuilt their ties in the past three years after years of chill in their long-standing relationship. As Israel increased its violent campaign of expansion in the region, two countries grew closer. They explored more political, economic and security cooperation.

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler most recently offered a maritime boundary delimitation agreement with Egypt, highlighting the potential benefits for Cairo.

“Our proposal to Egypt is clear,” Güler said, explaining that Cairo could secure approximately 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 square miles) of additional maritime jurisdiction by reaching an agreement with Türkiye rather than pursuing a potential arrangement with Greece.

Athens has long opposed the memorandum, fearing that Türkiye could gain greater influence in the Mediterranean as the country views Türkiye as a historic rival, even as Ankara pursues rapprochement with Greece.

In his last visit to Egypt, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted the need to deepen cooperation, especially in maritime trade and transportation, freedom of navigation and maritime security.

Developments in Sinjar

Separately, the ministry welcomed Iraqi government efforts to strengthen state authority and restore stability in Sinjar.

It emphasized the importance of eliminating terrorist groups from the region and ensuring security through Iraq’s official security forces.

“Ending the presence of terrorist organizations in the region and ensuring security through Iraq’s official security forces is an important development for establishing lasting peace and stability in Sinjar and achieving the goal of a terror-free region,” the ministry said.

It said Ankara was closely monitoring developments in coordination with relevant state institutions.

Barely two months after YPG, the Syrian wing of the terrorist group PKK, announced dissolution following integration into Syrian security forces, another part of the PKK apparently follows the example. Sinjar Resistance Units, or YBS, an offshoot of the group active in the eponymous Iraqi region, will disarm and integrate into the Iraqi army under the supervision of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, an Iraqi official said Monday.

The terrorist group PKK previously had evacuated four accommodation areas in Metina, a region in northern Iraq, as a process aimed at the group’s full disarmament continued.

DAILYSABAH