Türkiye Renews Maritime Deal Offer to Egypt

Türkiye has renewed its offer to negotiate a maritime-boundary agreement with Egypt, saying a deal with Ankara could give Cairo more maritime jurisdiction than a possible agreement with Greece. The proposal has not been accepted by Egypt, and the projected gain is Türkiye’s estimate rather than agreed terms or an independently verified calculation. At a Defense Ministry briefing on October 28, ministry spokesman Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk said Türkiye was ready to sign an agreement based on mutual interests. The ministry estimated that Egypt could gain more than 15,000 square kilometers of additional maritime jurisdiction compared with a potential agreement with Greece. The figure describes Ankara’s assessment of a hypothetical arrangement, not the outcome of negotiations. The renewed offer comes amid competing claims over maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt and Greece signed a partial maritime agreement in 2020, while Türkiye does not recognize it. Greece and Egypt have also discussed extending their agreement eastward, according to the reports. No bilateral negotiations between Egypt and Türkiye over Ankara’s latest proposal have been announced, and Egypt has...