Libya’s Eastern Parliament Approves Turkey Maritime Deal

By Staff, Agencies

Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives has unanimously approved a disputed maritime agreement with Turkey, prompting condemnation from Greece and Cyprus over competing claims to maritime boundaries and energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

The vote took place on Tuesday and endorsed an agreement originally signed in November 2019 between Ankara and Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli. Lawmakers also overturned a 2020 decision to sever political ties with Turkey.

The agreement defines maritime jurisdiction between Turkey and Libya in an area contested by Greece, Egypt and Cyprus, amid wider regional disputes over offshore resources and exclusive economic zones.

Greece’s Foreign Ministry described the parliamentary decision as “unilateral” and “legally unfounded,” arguing that the agreement disregards the rights of Greek islands to maritime zones between the Turkish and Libyan coasts.

“The memorandum remains illegal, null and void, contravenes international law of the sea, and infringes upon the sovereign rights of states in the region,” the ministry said in a statement.

It also argued that Turkey and Libya lack opposite or adjacent coastlines that would provide a lawful basis for the maritime boundary, warning that Athens would take measures to defend its sovereign rights.

Cyprus likewise condemned the decision, describing the memorandum as “illegal, null and void.”

Turkey welcomed the vote, maintaining that the agreement protects the “mutual rights and interests” of both countries in accordance with international law and the principle of equity.

Ankara said the deal also strengthens bilateral cooperation and reiterated its commitment to promoting trust, stability and peace in the Mediterranean.

The dispute unfolds against the backdrop of growing competition over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

A series of offshore gas discoveries since 2009 has opened new export opportunities while intensifying disagreements over maritime boundaries and drilling rights.

Major discoveries off the coasts of “Israel,” Cyprus and Egypt have attracted international energy companies, including Chevron and Eni, further increasing the strategic importance of the region.