Greece has rejected the approval by Libya’s eastern parliament of a maritime agreement with Turkey, saying the deal breaches international law and infringes on the sovereign rights of countries in the eastern Mediterranean.
Libya is divided between two governments, one in the west, based in Tripoli and another in the east in Benghazi. The deal was originally agreed to by the government in the west.
The eastern-based House of Representatives, aligned with military commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, unanimously approved the 2019 agreement on Tuesday, reversing its previous opposition to the deal and its decision to sever political ties with Ankara.
The agreement delineates maritime jurisdiction areas between the two countries in the Mediterranean, where competing territorial claims and offshore energy exploration have fuelled tension.
Greece, Egypt and Cyprus have long been opposed to it, and they see it as infringing on their own maritime claims.
The Greek Foreign Ministry said the parliamentary vote did not change what it described as the agreement’s “illegal, null and void” status.
Athens said that Turkey and Libya did not have opposite or adjacent coastlines that would provide a legal basis for delimiting maritime zones.
Greece said the agreement disregarded the maritime rights of its islands.
"We call on the Libyan side to refrain from any action that contravenes International Law and undermines stability in the Eastern Mediterranean," the statement read.
It added that it had informed its partners and allies and would take appropriate measures to protect its sovereign rights.
Following the ratification, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis held phone calls with his Cypriot and Egyptian counterparts, according to readouts from the Greek Foreign Ministry.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU deeply regretted the Libyan parliament’s ratification of the agreement.
She emphasised the bloc’s longstanding opposition to the deal and its support for Greece and Cyprus.
“This agreement infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states, it does not comply with the Law of the Sea, and is null and void,” Ms von der Leyen said in a post on X.
Warming ties
Turkey's Foreign Ministry welcomed the Libyan parliament's decision, saying the agreement respected the mutual rights and interests of both countries under international law and the principles of equity.
"Turkey will continue its determination to work together with all partners to ensure security, stability and peace in the Mediterranean basin," the ministry said.
Athens and Cairo signed an overlapping deal designating an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean in 2020, which Turkey opposes.
Libya broke apart into rival eastern and western administrations more than a decade ago during a civil war after longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled by a Nato-backed uprising.
The vote marks a shift in eastern Libya’s relations with Turkey, which intervened militarily in 2020 to support the Tripoli government against Haftar’s forces. Relations between Ankara and Haftar’s camp have since improved.
Lt Gen Saddam Haftar, Field Marshal Haftar’s son who is also his deputy, welcomed the decision, describing the agreement as a means of protecting Libya’s economic interests in the Mediterranean.
The decision could further complicate efforts to resolve competing maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean, a strategically important region with significant natural gas resources.