Greece and Egypt ink SAR delimitation agreement

The extremely important agreement between Greece and Egypt for the definition of Search and Rescue areas, which are now identified with the FIRs of Athens and Cairo was signed at noon on Tuesday (22/11) .

With the agreement, a new operational plan is implemented for the demarcated area between the two states, and the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum is effectively cancelled.

After the demarcation of the Exclusive Economic Zone, Athens and Cairo recently proceeded to sign the new interstate agreement (“Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Sectors”) in a special ceremony.

In my presence & Alt. FM @MVarvitsiotis, DefMin @npanagioto signed with #Egypt counterpart, M. Zaki, #MoU between the 🇬🇷&🇪🇬 Governments on Cooperation in the Fields of Aeronautics and Maritime Search & Rescue. pic.twitter.com/xxNKNAWB0q

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) November 22, 2022

Condemnation of actions that violate the sovereign rights of Greece

“The Agreement defines the limits of jurisdiction and areas of responsibility for Search and Rescue between Greece and Egypt which are identified with the FIRs of Athens and Cairo respectively, with full implementation and absolute respect of International Law. In contrast, the so-called Memorandums of Cooperation between Turkey and the Government of Tripoli, constitute illegal, transgressive, invalid and destabilizing behaviors,” said Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos immediately after signing the memorandum of understanding.

The Minister of National Defense noted the common vision of the two countries to createa secure and safe environment for the well-being of their peoples, and made it clear that Athens condemns any form of revisionism and unilateral actions that violate the sovereignty, sovereign rights and territorial integrity of Greece.

A significant boost to Greece-Egypt cooperation

For his part, the Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias noted the significant impetus to the joint effort to further deepen bilateral relations and bilateral cooperation, focusing on adherence to International Law, including the Law of the Sea and the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Along the same lines, General Mohamed Zakri, Egypt’s Minister of Defense, underlined that the agreement is another step in the close cooperation of the two countries that should be a model for the relations of all countries.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, described the agreement as an important step for strengthening relations between the two countries: “It is a very important step for strengthening relations and the strategic cooperation of the two countries. Mutual respect, respect for the values ​​of each country. The cooperation of the two countries is based on the respect of International Law,” he said.

The provisions of the agreement

This particular agreement acquires particular political weight, as it is the second signed by the two countries in a short period of time.

The first was the EEZ delimitation agreement in August 2020, which enshrined Greek sovereign rights that Turkey was trying to dispute.

The most important chapter of the agreement is the recognition that the boundaries of the FIR of the two countries coincide with the area where the Search and Rescue (SAR) is carried out.

In this way, the two countries recognize that the area south of Crete and the Eastern Aegean up to the Egyptian coast is controlled exclusively by Athens and Cairo.