The official meeting between Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Athens on Wednesday was that what diplomats call “cordial”.
In joint statements to the press, the two ministers called each other “friend” and “brother” and exchanged vows of eternal friendship.
Top on the agenda of the talks were the situation in Gaza, regional issues regarding Turkey, Libya, Syria, the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the disputed Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), the status of the Holy Monastery of St Catherine on Mount Sinai and Egyptian laborers in Greece.
The Greek FM said that he received assurances by his Egyptian counterpart that the continuity and Greek Orthodox character of the Holy Monastery of St Catherine on Mount Sinai would not be disrupted, as Abdelatty told him it is “characteristic of religious tolerance but also of respect for religious rights that Egypt has always demonstrated.”
Gerapetritis underlined that Greece and Egypt remain pillars of stability and have developed an exemplary and multifaceted relationship. He also stressed that the agreement on the delimitation of the EEZ remains exemplary five years after its signing, so the state-run news agency..
And just when everything was running smoothly in a “cordial atmosphere” a bombshell exploded in the Greek media, a leakage that Egypt has been challenging the Greek Maritime Zone.
The Foreign Ministry later issued a statement saying that Egypt had handed a Note Verbale to the Greek Embassy in Cairo on July 8.
“Egypt’s reaction to Greece’s announcement of its Maritime Spatial Planning was “expected” given that the delimitation of the maritime zones between the two countries is still pending,” the Greek foreign ministry said.
Greece issued and outlined the Maritime Spatial Planning for the first time on a map on 16 April 2025, the ministry said adding:
“This is an expected reaction from a neighbouring state, expressed through standard diplomatic correspondence, with which the delimitation of maritime zones is still pending – such as Egypt. This is clearly stated on the map, namely that in the areas where no bilateral delimitation has taken place, the potential boundaries are indicated according to the median line. This Greek Foreign Minister said this to his Egyptian counterpart during their meeting today.”
The Egyptian foreign minister “confirmed, as is expressly stated in the Note Verbale, that Egypt’s intention is that these issues should be a subject of cooperation and deliberation in the context of the excellent relations between the two countries, aiming at their further enhancement,” the ministry added stressing that “both sides praised the EEZ delimitation agreement, which was signed five years ago and reiterated their commitment to UNCLOS for their future cooperation.”
On Thursday morning, state-run news agency amna reported:
“The note verbale of the Arab Republic of Egypt of 8th July 2025, which refers to the Greek Maritime Spatial Planning, was submitted to the Embassy of Greece in Cairo on 27 July, 2025,” diplomatic sources said on Thursday, in a response regarding when the note verbale was delivered to the Greek embassy.”
Ps such things happen when an institution is not transparent, tries to hide “failures” and the “enemies from within” leak them to the press.
