"Disappointment" Over Kastellorizo in the Greece-Egypt Agreement...

Over Kastellorizo, "those who believe Cyprus and Greece have a joint EEZ are deeply disappointed"

"Greece does not intend to keep playing with fire so that Anastasiadis and Christodoulides can conduct foreign policy to play to the gallery"

Nicosia, 9 August 2020

The newspaper POLITIS wrote that an experienced Greek Cypriot ambassador said: "The Greece-Egypt agreement has caused great disappointment here in Nicosia among those who believe that Cyprus and Greece have a joint Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including the country's leadership."

Pointing out that the partial maritime delimitation agreement Greece signed with Egypt on Thursday, a continuation of the agreement it recently signed with Italy, caused confusion on the Greek Cypriot side as to why Kastellorizo was not included in the agreement, Politis quoted the above explanation from an experienced Greek Cypriot ambassador.

The report by Dionysis Dionysiou, which the newspaper ran as its lead story under the headline "The Greece-Egypt EEZ and Nicosia's Fear", noted that because of the confusion on the Greek Cypriot side, Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides described the agreement positively, "probably out of duty", 24 hours after it was signed and after receiving a comprehensive briefing from his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.

The report stated that with the two agreements signed with Italy and Egypt, Greece had in fact "registered the basic rights of its islands regarding the continental shelf and EEZ", but at the same time had made significant concessions in both agreements, that is, it had moved away from the maximalism that had so far prevented it from negotiating with neighbors such as Türkiye, Albania, Italy and Libya.

In examining what Greece gained and conceded in the agreement with Egypt, it was noted that Greece had changed its thesis that even the last uninhabited island or rock forms part of the land line and has 100 percent effect in EEZ delimitation, although for bargaining reasons it never stated this publicly.

Stating that the exclusion of Kastellorizo from the agreement signed with Egypt raised questions on the Greek Cypriot side "in the minds of those who believe that the EEZs of Cyprus, Greece and Egypt supposedly intersect at a so-called tri-national point there (Kastellorizo)", the report continued, in summary, as follows:

"EGYPT HAS NO INTENTION OF ENTERING INTO CONFLICT WITH TÜRKİYE OVER KASTELLORIZO"

"In reality, however, those who are not deluded understand that the 'ambition' of a Greece-Cyprus EEZ delimitation, while respected, is unrealistic. Everything depends on Egypt, and Egypt has shown that it is a credible player. In 2003, by signing a median line agreement, Egypt supported our country politically and diplomatically, but it also wanted quick solutions so it could begin drilling in its own waters. It also signed a partial maritime delimitation agreement with Greece because the Turkish-Libyan agreement was not in its interest. Egypt has serious problems with Türkiye on various issues, but it has no intention of entering into a comprehensive conflict with Türkiye over Kastellorizo, whose effect can only be decided by Türkiye and Greece or determined by an international court. The message of the Egypt-Greece agreement is clear, if, of course, the Republic of Cyprus wants to receive it...

"CYPRUS THREW AWAY ITS OPPORTUNITIES IN 2016-2017"

So far, Cyprus has shown no readiness to catch up with Greece's new policy in the region, which is not a copy of Cypriot foreign policy. Cyprus signed legitimate and strong agreements with neighbors such as Egypt, Israel and Libya long before Greece. With this strong precedent in hand, Cyprus could have entered the settlement talks with very strong diplomatic and economic (owing to its natural gas reserves) leverage, but it threw away these opportunities in 2016-2017.

"GREECE DOES NOT INTEND TO KEEP PLAYING WITH FIRE SO THAT ANASTASIADIS AND CHRISTODOULIDES CAN CONDUCT FOREIGN POLICY TO PLAY TO THE GALLERY"

All analysts agree that Germany's intervention is not enough and that the US cannot focus on the region during the pandemic and the election period. To cut a long story short, there are serious dangers until the end of the year. But of course, in this period the leadership of the Republic of Cyprus cannot read the situation in the region. Cyprus, in a populist manner and somehow returning to the dangerous policies of the 1980s, rushed to buy 280 million euros' worth of weapons from France. Athens, for its part, does not seem to intend to keep playing with the fire of a hot incident so that Mr. Anastasiadis and Mr. Christodoulides can conduct their foreign policy to play to the gallery."

AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE IS A "GAME CHANGER"

The weekly SIMERINI, in a report run as its second lead under the headline "Cyprus-France Defense Agreement 'Game Changing'", wrote that the entry into force of the "defense agreement" between France and Southern Cyprus as of 1 August is considered very important for the geopolitical balance in the region.

Noting that France's air and naval presence in the South raises the level of the Greek Cypriot administration's "defense armor", the newspaper, referring to the parts of the agreement "not discussed in public", gave the following information on what it expects from the agreement with France:

"It is heard that a Cypriot port will be used for the permanent presence of the French Navy and that, until the naval base at Mari is upgraded, the ports of Limassol or Larnaca will be used. Recently, it is thought that an area of the Ports Authority adjacent to the National Guard base will be allocated and shaped to suit France's needs.

The 'Andreas Papandreou' air base in Paphos is being considered for deployment and use by French fighter aircraft taking part in missions or operations in the region.

France undertakes to organize a major air-naval exercise in the region in the first year in order to harmonize the tactics followed by the two armed forces.

France will examine reinforcing Cyprus with floating assets suited to the country's scale.

French-made weapon systems in the National Guard inventory will be upgraded immediately, and the addition of new-generation systems, such as a radar covering the entire Cypriot EEZ, will be examined urgently."

FRANCE'S "RETURN" TO THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN...

The weekly KATHIMERINI, in a report headlined "France's Dynamic Return to the Eastern Mediterranean", wrote that with the entry into force of the Greek Cypriot-French agreement, "a geopolitical step has been taken toward France's 'return' to the Eastern Mediterranean region."

Citing a diplomatic source on the Greek Cypriot side, the newspaper added that French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Beirut, where a huge explosion had occurred, and what took place there cannot be considered separately from France's desire to regain lost ground, and that this situation also suits Southern Cyprus, which is trying to gain a role in the region.

The newspaper noted that from what Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiadis said at his latest briefing meeting with political party leaders, it was understood that, in return for the facilities it will provide, the Greek Cypriot Administration will receive "active support from France in the event of an attack by a third country."