Greece Rejects Eastern Libya’s Approval of Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal

Greece rejected a decision by the eastern Libyan parliament to approve a 2019 maritime boundary agreement between Turkey and Libya, calling the deal legally void and a violation of international law.

The House of Representatives, based in eastern Libya, approved the agreement the same day. The deal is part of a long dispute over competing sea border claims and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli, in the west, originally agreed to the deal in 2019. The rival eastern administration, led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, had withheld its approval for years.

In a foreign ministry statement, Athens said the memorandum violates the international law of the sea and infringes on the sovereign rights of states in the region. Greece argued that Turkey and Libya do not have opposite or adjacent coasts that would justify such a maritime delimitation. The ministry called on Libya to refrain from actions that undermine stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. It said it had informed partners and allies and would take all appropriate measures to safeguard its sovereign rights.

Greece, Egypt and Cyprus have long opposed the deal, which they see as encroaching on their own maritime claims.

Turkey’s foreign ministry welcomed the vote. It said the agreement respects the mutual rights and interests of both countries under international law and the principles of equity, and it pledged to keep working with partners for security, stability and peace in the Mediterranean.

Athens and Cairo signed an overlapping agreement in 2020 designating an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean, which Turkey opposes. Last year, Greece approved hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete for a consortium led by U.S. company Chevron. Ankara condemned that move as unlawful.

Libya split into rival eastern and western administrations more than a decade ago, during a civil war that followed the toppling of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising. Turkish support was crucial in repelling an assault by Haftar’s forces on Tripoli in 2019-2020. Relations between Ankara and the east have improved steadily since then, with Turkish officials regularly visiting Benghazi, Haftar’s de facto capital, and investing heavily in construction and other sectors.

In the same session, the eastern parliament also reversed a 2020 decision to cut political ties with Ankara. Anas El Gomati, head of the Libyan think tank Sadeq Institute, described the move as a complete reversal that shows how close Ankara and Benghazi now are. He said the vote was eased by the recent replacement of longtime parliament speaker Aguila Saleh, who is widely seen as an ally of Egypt.

Saddam Haftar, deputy to Khalifa Haftar, welcomed the approval, calling the deal a tool to help protect Libya’s rights and economic interests in the Mediterranean. Libyan lawmaker Tarek al-Jeroushi told Reuters the agreement would strengthen Libya’s standing as a political, military and economic partner to major powers. He said some countries may be upset, but Libya’s national interest comes first.

Jalel Harchaoui, a contributor to Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, said the vote could also open the way for an expanded Turkish military presence in eastern Libya. He called the ratification a watershed.