Istanbul:Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty engaged in discussions regarding Eastern Mediterranean issues in Istanbul. The meeting took place on the sidelines of a session involving the R4 working groups, which include Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the discussions formed part of the ongoing dialogue between Türkiye and Egypt concerning regional issues of mutual interest and recent developments related to maritime agreements in the Eastern Mediterranean.

During the meeting, Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s opposition to the maritime memorandum of understanding signed between Türkiye and Libya. Despite this, he characterized the meeting as positive, with a constructive dialogue. Fidan acknowledged Egypt’s concerns and emphasized the necessity of continued consultations to address these issues in a way that supports regional stability.

Furthermore, Turkish media reports indicated that technical assessments on maritime boundary delimitation in the Eastern Mediterranean propose that a trilateral agreement involving Cairo, Ankara, and Tripoli might provide Egypt with an additional maritime area of approximately 21,500 square kilometers, compared to the current approach based on a potential agreement with Greece.

These discussions are part of broader efforts by Türkiye and Egypt to enhance diplomatic communication and resolve previous disagreements over maritime affairs and boundaries, aiming to bolster the shared economic and security interests of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region.