Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, France and Cyprus on Monday expressed regret over the escalation of violence in Libya and said Turkey’s agreement with the government of reconciliation threatens regional stability, the Arab News website reported.
A joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, France and the UAE said the latest worrying developments in the eastern Mediterranean were discussed, in addition to a number of regional crises that threaten peace and stability in that region.
The ministers stressed the strategic importance of strengthening and intensifying their political consultations and praised the results of a meeting in Cairo on Jan. 8, 2020, to enhance security and stability in the eastern Mediterranean and expressed deep concern over the current escalation and ongoing provocative moves in the eastern Mediterranean.
The ministers condemned the illegal Turkish actions taking place in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone and its territorial waters, for their apparent violation of international law in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
This is the sixth attempt by Turkey in less than a year to conduct illegal excavations within the sea areas of Cyprus.
The ministers also condemned the escalation of Turkish violations of Greek airspace, including flights over populated areas and territorial waters, in violation of international law. Moreover, the ministers condemned the systematic exploitation of civilians by Turkey and the attempt to push them toward illegally crossing the Greek land and sea borders.
They demanded that the Libyan parties commit to a truce during the holy month of Ramadan and affirmed their commitment to work toward a comprehensive political solution to the Libyan crisis under the auspices of the United Nations. They expressed their keenness to resume the commitments of the Berlin process — political, military, economic and financial.