Turkey is interested in negotiating maritime issues in the East Med with Egypt and hopes that “a new page can be turned in [their] relationship with Egypt,” Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said in an interview with Bloomberg. Turkey also hopes to mend relations with Egypt’s Gulf allies, Kalin said, and to address with Egypt other issues including governance in Libya and the Palestinian peace process. His comments follow statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who last week said that Egypt and Turkey could soon reach an agreement on the Eastern Mediterranean maritime borders.

Egypt denied it was in unilateral negotiations over a demarcation agreement with Turkey in the East Med, unnamed diplomatic sources reportedly told Arab News, following Cavusoglu’s statements. Egypt will not negotiate without the presence of Cyprus and Greece, the sources said, reiterating Egypt’s rejection of the maritime agreement between Libya and Turkey.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is in Cairo and Cyprus today and will discuss the continuing tensions with Turkey with Foreign Minister Sameh Shourky as well as Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit in Cairo, and with Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides in Nicosia, according to a statement from the Greece’s foreign ministry.

CATCH UP QUICK-

Brent crude oil prices continue to rise following attacks on Aramco facility by Yemen’s Houthis yesterday, CNBC reports. The international benchmark Brent crude futures rose as much as 2.9% to USD 71.38 / bbl this morning in Asia, its highest level in 14 months, amid concerns about the security and stability of energy supplies, the FT reports. Oil prices were already on good footing following last week’s OPEC+ meeting, where the cartel voted to maintain current supply curbs. The attacks targeted an Aramco petroleum tank in Ras Tanura and a facility in Dhahran, but neither attack resulted in injury, loss of life or property, the Saudi Energy Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.