Egypt has recognized the ownership rights of the Sinai Monastery to UNESCO.
While tomorrow the Greek delegation arriving in Cairo will call on the Egyptian side to respect the agreement of last December, Egypt itself, as evidenced by its signature at UNESCO, has recognized its property rights. Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai.
In the agreement for the inclusion of the Monastery among the World Cultural Heritage Monuments, as early as 2002, the Egyptian state recognizes the ownership rights of the Monastery – and this, moreover, was an important argument in the negotiations of the previous months, which resulted in the settlement, which the Egyptian side ultimately defaulted on.
With methodical obstructionism, he let time pass, so that with the issuance of the Court's decision, negative faits accomplis would be created, seeking the abolition of the Monastery's property rights.
The text, which has been registered with UNESCO with the consent and co-signature of the Egyptian state, states the following:
"The Monastery is the property of the Greek Orthodox Church and belongs to the Archdiocese of Sinai. Under the hierarchical system of the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is self-governing and independent, under the administration of the Abbot, who bears the title of Archbishop."
The same text also states that:
"Any intervention for the conservation of the buildings is evaluated with extreme care by both the Monastery authorities and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. Nothing is allowed that could jeopardize, even in the slightest, the authentic character of the buildings."
Also, the agreement with UNESCO guarantees not only the protection of the buildings but also of monastic life, and places restrictions on any development plan for the wider area:
“Furthermore, not only are the buildings themselves protected, but – and more importantly – the monastic life within the walls of the Monastery is protected, while life in the entire area is also developed, as much as possible, through a strict management plan.”
The same text also makes clear reference to the recognition, by Presidential Decree of Egypt, of the "Egyptian Legally Self-Governing Religious Authority of the Greek Orthodox Church" as a "legal supervisor".
This text of the agreement with UNESCO constitutes an important diplomatic "weapon" in tomorrow's negotiations in Cairo, where the Egyptian side is attempting to overturn the agreement that had existed and impose another regulation, which will incorporate the Court's decision, which turns the monks and the Monastery into "guests" in the buildings and spaces that they have had in their possession for centuries.
Egypt attaches particular importance to UNESCO and is characteristically conducting a major campaign to elect the first Egyptian Secretary-General of the International Organization, former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enani, who has the support of the African Union, the Arab League and several European countries, including Greece and Cyprus.
It is obvious that, if Egypt truly wishes to claim this highly important position, a prerequisite is that it will also respect the basic Principles of the Organization, as recorded in the Organization's official texts on the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai.
Read in detail what the Egyptian side's text submitted to UNESCO says
https://www.liberal.gr/amyna-diplomatia/i-aigyptos-ehei-anagnorisei-ta-idioktisiaka-dikaiomata-tis-monis-toy-sina-stin