Libya parliament approves maritime deal with Turkey
The unanimous vote revives a contested sea-border pact and could expand Turkish influence in eastern Libya as Greece, Cyprus and Egypt denounce it.
- On Tuesday, Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives unanimously ratified the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum, repealing two 2020 resolutions that had rejected the deal and severed diplomatic ties with Ankara.
- Warming relations between Ankara and Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar drove this reversal, marking a departure from the 2019-2020 civil war when Turkey backed opposing forces in Tripoli.
- The ratified agreement defines maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean Sea, establishing an exclusive economic zone boundary southeast of the Greek island of Crete that Turkey and Libya claim protects their national interests.
- Greece, Cyprus, and the European Union denounced the vote as 'illegal, null and void,' arguing the memorandum violates international law and infringes on the sovereign rights of other states in the region.
- Analysts warn the move deepens Turkish influence in eastern Libya and complicates regional energy exploration, as American company Chevron prepares to survey waters south of Crete amid ongoing maritime disputes.
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161 Articles
Turkish foreign relations: Turkey and Greece have been in conflict for decades over maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece’s alliances with UAE and Israel fail eastern Libya–Turkey test
In the days before Libya’s eastern parliament approved a contentious maritime agreement with Turkey, Greece was trying to assemble its allies - Egypt, Israel and the UAE - to prevent the deal, multiple officials in the region told Middle East Eye.
The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the Head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Lien, issued a joint statement on Tuesday evening, pointing to the legal invalidity of the Libyan-Turkeyn memorandum on maritime delimitation." We deeply regret today's ratification by the Libyan Parliament of the so-called memorandum of understanding between Libya and Turkey on the delimitation of maritime zones in the Mediterranea…
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