"It turns out that the trio of Israel, Greece, and the 'Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus' (i.e., as they call the Republic of Cyprus) is not the only alternative for Egypt. It is also becoming clear that Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus are not actually that important. Because, if you notice, Turkey has also signed agreements with Egypt in the energy sector.”
Cihatt Yayci – Founder of Blue Homeland
Turkish analysts are erasing and redrawing maps, and the founder of “Blue Homeland” is among those who believe that Nicosia, Athens, and Tel Aviv have lost Egypt to the opposing camp.
However, others disagree, such as the analysts at the Milliyet newspaper, who offer a different interpretation of why Cairo is not joining the Mecca Agreement.
“Cairo is hesitant to take the next step, as it fears that closer military ties with Turkey and Pakistan could cost it its relations with Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, and India. This is Egypt’s fundamental dilemma: that it will lose the European market. That is why the Egyptian Foreign Minister cited constitutional obstacles.”
Milliyet
Milliyet reports that Egypt has strict constitutional restrictions on its participation in military alliances, as well as on the deployment of troops outside the country.
The Turkish newspaper also highlights another factor: India.
“Since 2023, Egypt has maintained a strategic partnership with New Delhi, while the volume of trade between the two countries amounts to $6.5 billion. In contrast, trade with Pakistan is limited to approximately $500 million.”
Milliyet
However, the bigger picture has to do with energy, with Milliyet referring to the Nicosia-Cairo cooperation, the Zor, Aphrodite, and Glaukos, as well as plans to utilize Egyptian LNG facilities to channel natural gas to the European market.
Given these circumstances, the message from the President of the Republic of Cyprus to his Indian counterpart, on the occasion of India’s Independence Day, comes as no surprise.
“My warmest congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government, and the people of India on the occasion of India’s 80th Independence Day. Cyprus and India enjoy a strategic partnership based on shared principles and common interests, and guided by a broad agenda that is already delivering tangible benefits to our peoples.”
Nikos Christodoulides – President of the Republic
All of this comes in the wake of remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who essentially revealed that the Mecca Agreement is being used as a countermeasure to the Cyprus-Greece-Israel alliance.
From Paros, the Greek Minister of Defense responded indirectly to the Turkish minister.
“We are living in dystopian times—times when authoritarian views and authoritarian approaches are attempting to undermine humanity’s hard-won achievements. Faced with any such attempts, the Armed Forces of our country stand ready.”
Nikos Dendias – Minister of Defense
He added that the rules of international law and the Law of the Sea are not merely a text devoid of substance, but rather the choice of the civilized part of humanity regarding how to resolve any outstanding issues.
See the report by Giorgos Georgiadis:
