CAIRO — "Egypt is a friendly country to Greece, a country that under President El Sisi's leadership 'sees and reads' the reality in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the wider region in the same way as Greece reads it," said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in an interview with Alpha TV.

In his interview, given a few hours after the signing of the historic agreement for the delimitation of maritime zones between Greece and Italy and before his trip to France, Israel and Egypt, which was transmitted late on Thursday, Dendias pointed out that there have so far been 17 rounds of negotiations with Egypt that have brought no result, expressed his optimism for a new start and a new effort.

When asked what he would like to leave behind as his legacy when he departs from the foreign ministry, Dendias said that he would be very happy if there could be an agreement on maritime zones with Egypt.

Addressing Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Dendias suggested that if he likes the agreement with Italy "then we can negotiatie on the same terms," adding that he would be the happiest person in the world if the agreement with Italy becomes the door through which Turkey can pass to international legality and meet Greece "in the same room". He called on Turkey to "find a way out based on the rules of the international law and the Law of the Sea," clarifying that the rationale that, for example, islands do not have an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or continental shelf but only territorial waters is not a basis for discussion.

The Greek foreign minister also expressed his certainty that the EU will support and uphold international law.

Finally, on the Turkey-Libya memorandum, Dendias called it null and void, underlining that Greece will find a solution with a serious government in Libya but not with the present administration, which is acting entirely under Turkey's orders.