Libya backs Türkiye maritime deal, Greece objects
Libya’s House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously approved the 2019 maritime boundary agreement with Türkiye, reversing its previous rejection of the deal and repealing a resolution calling for political ties with Ankara to be severed. Greece rejected the decision, insisting that the agreement remains invalid under international law and infringes on the sovereign rights of states in the region.
Parliament reverses 2020 decisions
According to Türkiye Today, the eastern-based Libyan parliament approved the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Türkiye and Libya’s former Government of National Accord (GNA) on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean Sea.
Parliament spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said lawmakers also unanimously repealed Resolution No. 1 of 2020, which rejected ratification of two agreements signed between the GNA and Türkiye, as well as Resolution No. 6 of 2020, which called for severing political relations with Ankara.
The decisions mark a reversal by a parliament that had previously opposed the agreements.
Agreement covers maritime boundaries
Türkiye and Libya’s GNA, then led by Fayez al-Sarraj, signed two memorandums in Istanbul on Nov. 27, 2019. One concerned security and military cooperation, while the other established a framework for delimiting maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean, including the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.
The maritime agreement was signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Sarraj, subsequently approved by Türkiye’s parliament and registered with the United Nations.
The agreement has been central to Türkiye’s position on maritime jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean. Libya’s latest parliamentary decision provides renewed domestic backing for the deal, although it does not resolve the objections raised by Greece.
Greece rejected the Libyan parliament’s decision, describing the 2019 memorandum as illegal, null and void and arguing that it contravenes international law of the sea.
According to a statement from the Greek Foreign Ministry, the agreement infringes on the sovereign rights of states in the region and cannot be legitimized through a unilateral parliamentary decision.
Athens argues that Türkiye and Libya do not have opposite or adjacent coastlines that would provide a lawful basis for the maritime delimitation set out in the memorandum. It also maintains that the agreement disregards Greek islands and their entitlement to maritime zones under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and customary international law.
Athens signals further action
As reported by Greece’s AMNA news agency, the Greek Foreign Ministry said the country had already concluded maritime delimitation agreements with Egypt and Italy in accordance with international law.
Athens called on Libya to refrain from actions it considers contrary to international law and detrimental to stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The ministry added that Greece had informed its partners and allies of the issue and would take all appropriate measures to safeguard its sovereign rights.
Eastern Mediterranean dispute continues
The disagreement reflects wider tensions over maritime boundaries, exclusive economic zones and energy interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Under Article 57 of UNCLOS, an exclusive economic zone may extend up to 200 nautical miles from a state’s territorial sea baselines. Where the maritime claims of coastal states overlap, delimitation remains a matter of dispute or agreement between the parties concerned.
Libya’s parliamentary approval strengthens political support for the Türkiye-Libya memorandum within the country’s eastern-based legislature, while Greece’s rejection underscores that the agreement remains contested.
