I’m a little worried by this report concerning former close allies Egypt and Turkey from Ahmed Aleem in AL Monitor:
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid warned in an official statement Feb. 7 against contesting the agreement on the demarcation of the maritime border between Egypt and Cyprus. He also warned against infringing on Egypt’s sovereign rights in the delimited area, asserting that any attempt to do so was unacceptable and would be rejected.
The Egyptian position came in response to statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in an interview Feb. 4 with the Greek daily Kathimerini. Cavusoglu described as “null and void” the agreement signed between Egypt and Cyprus in December 2013 on the joint exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves on the median line between the two countries’ respective exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean. “We have clearly stated that the agreement violates Turkey’s continental shelf,” he noted.
Turkey’s President Erdogan has transformed from a democratically elected leader into a strongman following the failed coup of a few years ago in Turkey. Strongmen take power because a large enough percentage of the populace initially wants a strongman, although this may not be true after power has been achieved. And what keeps a strongman going?
Being strong.
Egypt has clearly told him to take his marbles elsewhere, as he regards the removal of former Egyptian President Morsi to be illicit, to Egypt’s current government’s irritation. What will Erdogan do when Egypt disregards his protest? He can’t really afford to look weak to his supporters.
I hope there’s no war over this.
