Libya’s eastern-based parliament has unanimously approved a contested maritime agreement with Turkey, reviving tensions with Cyprus, Greece and Egypt over maritime rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
The House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to adopt the memorandum of understanding signed in 2019 by Turkey and Libya’s then-government in Tripoli, the Government of National Accord.
The decision reverses years of opposition to the agreement by the eastern parliament, which is aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar.
Cyprus and Greece reject the agreement
Cyprus condemned the parliamentary vote, describing the memorandum as illegal, null and void.
Greece also rejected the decision, saying it did not change what Athens considers the agreement’s illegal and invalid nature.
In a statement, Greece’s Foreign Ministry argued that Turkey and Libya do not have opposite or adjacent coastlines that would provide a legal basis for delimiting maritime zones.
It also said the agreement disregards the rights of Greek islands situated between the Turkish and Libyan coasts.
“Geography and the international Law of the Sea cannot be changed by unilateral, legally unfounded parliamentary decisions,” the ministry said, adding that Greece would take appropriate measures to safeguard its sovereign rights.
Agreement concerns maritime boundaries and energy
The Libya-Turkey maritime deal defines maritime jurisdiction areas between the two countries in the Mediterranean, where natural gas discoveries have intensified competing claims over offshore waters.
The European Union has previously said the agreement violates the rights of third countries. Turkey is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Egypt has also opposed the accord. In August 2020, Cairo and Athens signed their own maritime delimitation agreement in response, with Greek officials arguing that it effectively nullifies the Turkish-Libyan arrangement.
The latest vote means that the eastern Libyan parliament, previously opposed to agreements with Ankara, now supports the 2019 memorandum.
Eastern Libya reverses its position on Turkey
Parliamentary spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said lawmakers also repealed two resolutions adopted in 2020. One rejected agreements with Turkey, while the other severed political ties with Ankara.
The earlier opposition came when Turkey was backing the Tripoli government against Haftar’s forces during Libya’s conflict.
Saddam Haftar, the military commander’s son, welcomed Tuesday’s decisions, describing them as a step towards overcoming past disputes. He said the maritime agreement could help protect Libya’s economic interests in the Mediterranean.
The foreign ministry of the Tripoli-based government, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, also welcomed the vote as a positive development in relations with Turkey, while saying cooperation would follow international law.
Dbeibah met Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin in Tripoli on Tuesday. According to a government statement, they discussed security, regional developments and migration.
Libya remains divided between rival administrations
Libya has remained politically divided since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Dbeibah leads the internationally recognised government in Tripoli, in the west, while Prime Minister Ossama Hammad heads the eastern administration. Haftar commands the Libyan National Army and holds power in the east.
The parliamentary vote follows a period of improving relations between Turkey and eastern Libya, despite their previous opposition during the conflict.
The agreement’s approval is likely to remain a point of dispute among regional governments as competing claims over maritime boundaries and energy resources continue in the eastern Mediterranean.
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