Egypt, Greece, Cyprus edge closer militarily, but may be risking face-off with Turkey
Egypt advances cooperation with Greece and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean despite Turkey’s rapprochement attempts.
CAIRO — The latest signing of a tripartite cooperation program deal between Egypt, Greece and Cyprus will strengthen military coordination between the three states and allow them to act together in the face of threats in the Eastern Mediterranean, military and political analysts in Cairo said.
However, the same deal can stoke tensions in the region, especially with Turkey closely watching and gritting its teeth in anger at spiraling cooperation between the three Mediterranean nations, they added.
“Growing military cooperation and coordination between the three countries surely provokes the Turkish side,” Nasr Salem, a retired Egyptian army general, told Al-Monitor. “This growing cooperation mainly aims to rein in the Turks and trim their violations in the region.”
Senior military officials from Egypt, Greece and Cyprus signed the deal in Athens on April 6.
