Egypt, Greece agree to protect status of Mount Sinai monastery, after court ruling
FILE PHOTO: Librarian, Father Justin of Sinai, turns pages of a manuscript in the library of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 6, 2019. Picture taken March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Librarian, Father Justin of Sinai, walks inside the library of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 6, 2019. Picture taken March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo
ATHENS - Greece and Egypt have agreed to safeguard the status of one of the world's oldest sites of Christian worship, foreign ministers of both countries said late on Wednesday, after an Egyptian court ruling last week cast uncertainty over its future.
The St Catherine's Monastery, at the foot of Egypt's Mount Sinai, was founded in the 6th century and is the oldest Christian monastery still in use for its original function, says UNESCO, which has listed the area as a World Heritage site.
Revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, the monastery is at the site where by Biblical tradition Moses received the Ten Commandments.
But last week, an Egyptian court ruling seen by Reuters ordered Orthodox monks to vacate several plots of land that the monks have used for years, including vineyards and gardens adjacent to the monastery compound, on the grounds that they were illegally sequestered, prompting a diplomatic flurry between Cairo and Athens over the site's status.
"We agreed in the immediate future to work towards safeguarding the rights of the monastery, as well as its legal status," Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said after meeting his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Cairo.
"Both Egypt and Greece intend to move forward based on the long-standing tradition and the already established status of an emblematic monastery for its Greek Orthodox character of worship".
Abdelatty said that the ruling preserves the monastery's profound spiritual value and religious standing, and confirmed that the monks would continue to have access to and use of the monastery and its religious and historical sites, according to a foreign ministry statement.
With a long history of diplomatic ties, Greece and Egypt have deepened cooperation in recent years.
St Catherine's is a sprawling complex, and according to tradition it was built around a burning bush where God was said to have spoken to Moses as described in the Book of Exodus. Its library is one of the most extensive worldwide, containing some of the world's earliest Christian manuscripts. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
17 minutes ago
- Straits Times
South Korea's Lee, Trump agree to work towards ‘satisfactory' tariff deal
South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung and US President Donald Trump spoke in their first phone call on June 6. PHOTO: REUTERS, EPA-EFE SEOUL - US President Donald Trump and South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung agreed to work toward a swift tariff deal and shared stories about their experiences in their first phone call since Lee was elected, his office said on June 6. Mr Trump has imposed tariffs on South Korea, which has a bilateral free trade deal, pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 troops stationed there and increased competition with China. The future of South Korea's export-oriented economy will hinge on what kind of deal Mr Lee can strike, with all of his country's key sectors from chips to autos and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade. His term began on June 11. 'The two presidents agreed to make an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on tariff consultations as soon as possible that both countries can be satisfied with,' Mr Lee's office said in a statement. 'To this end, they decided to encourage working-level negotiations to yield tangible results.' Mr Trump invited Mr Lee to a summit in the US and they plan to meet soon, according to a White House official. The two leaders also shared stories from the campaign trail, including of assassination attempts and political difficulties, and agreed that strong leadership emerges as they overcome difficulties, Mr Lee's office said. Mr Lee survived a knife attack and underwent surgery when he was stabbed in the neck by a man during an event in 2024. Mr Trump and Mr Lee also talked of their golf skills and agreed to play golf when possible, Mr Lee's office said, while Mr Lee mentioned that he was gifted a hat with Mr Trump's signature on it. South Korea, a major US ally and one of the first countries to engage with Washington after Japan on trade talks, agreed in late April to craft a 'July package' scrapping levies before the 90-day pause on Mr Trump's reciprocal tariffs is lifted, but progress was disrupted by upheavals in its leadership. Mr Lee, a liberal, was elected on June 3 after the US ally's former conservative leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached and ousted. Mr Lee said on the eve of the elections that 'the most pressing matter is trade negotiations with the United States.' Mr Lee's camp has said, however, that they intend to seek more time to negotiate on trade with Mr Trump. While reiterating the importance of the US-South Korea alliance, Mr Lee has also expressed more conciliatory plans for ties with China and North Korea, singling out the importance of China as a major trading partner while indicating reluctance to take a firm stance on security tensions in the Taiwan Strait. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
China says it is working with France on trade differences, no sign yet of a cognac deal
FILE PHOTO: Bottles of Remy Martin VSOP cognac, Remy Martin XO cognac and St-Remy XO Brandy are displayed at the Remy Cointreau SA headquarters in Paris, France, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo China says it is working with France on trade differences, no sign yet of a cognac deal BEIJING/PARIS - China and France have agreed to resolve their trade disputes through dialogue, China's foreign ministry said on Friday, though there was no indication that agreement had been reached in talks on lifting Chinese levies on European brandy. Talks to resolve the cognac dispute accelerated this week with China's commerce minister Wang Wentao meeting his French counterpart in Paris on the sidelines of an OECD conference, and technical talks on the matter taking place in Beijing. The latest round of negotiations have raised hopes of a settlement, two industry sources with knowledge of the discussions said. "The two sides have reached consensus on resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation", the Chinese foreign ministry said after a call between the Chinese and French foreign ministers. Chinese anti-dumping measures that applied duties of up to 39% on imports of European brandy - with French cognac bearing the brunt - have strained relations between Paris and Beijing. The brandy duties were enforced days after the European Union took action against Chinese-made electric vehicle imports to shield its local industry, prompting France's President Emmanuel Macron to accuse Beijing of "pure retaliation". The Chinese duties have dented sales of brands including LVMH's Hennessy, Pernod Ricard's Martell and Remy Cointreau. Beijing was initially meant to make a final decision on the duties by January, but extended the deadline to April and then again to July 5. China is seeking to strengthen trade ties with the 27-member bloc as relations with the United States have soured in the escalating trade war. "France will not compromise on ... the protection of its industries, such as cognac," French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said after talks with Wang on Wednesday. Chinese officials, meanwhile, signalled to industry officials during three rounds of technical meetings in Beijing this week they wanted to settle the matter, one of the sources said, but added some sticking points remained. With annual imports of around $1.7 billion last year, China is the French brandy industry's most important measured by value and the second-largest by volume after the United States. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
French rabbi tells of two attacks in one week as hate crimes rise
French rabbi Elie Lemmel talks with people after being attacked at a cafe terrace in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Antony Paone French rabbi Elie Lemmel talks with people after being attacked at a cafe terrace in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Antony Paone French rabbi tells of two attacks in one week as hate crimes rise PARIS - A French rabbi was attacked on Friday for the second time in a week, he told Reuters, reflecting a broad rise in hate crimes across France that has included high-profile anti-Semitic assaults. Elie Lemmel said he was sitting at a cafe in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Friday when he was hit in the head by a chair. "I found myself on the ground, I immediately felt blood flowing," he said. He was stunned and unsure what exactly had happened, he said, initially thinking something must have fallen from a window or roof, before it occurred to him he had been attacked. "Unfortunately, given my beard and my kippah, I suspected that was probably why, and it's such a shame," he said. Friday's incident follows another in the town of Deauville in Normandy last week, when Lemmel said he was punched in the stomach by an unknown assailant. Lemmel said he was used to "not-so-friendly looks, some unpleasant words, people passing by, spitting on the ground," but had never been physically assaulted before the two attacks. The prosecutor's office in Nanterre said it had opened an investigation into the Neuilly attack for aggravated violence and that a person was being held for questioning. It said it could not provide further details. "This act sickens us," former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on X regarding Friday's incident involving Lemmel. "Antisemitism, like all forms of hatred, is a deadly poison for our society." Last week, five Jewish institutions were sprayed with green paint in Paris. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic attack that targeted a rabbi in Neuilly today. Attacking a person because of their faith is a shame. The increase in anti-religious acts requires the mobilization of everyone," Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a post on X. France has seen a rise in hate crimes. Last year, police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or antireligious crimes, according to official data published in March. The figures did not include a breakdown by attacks on different religions. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
