While the European Union expressed its full solidarity with Greece, regarding Libya’s approval of the Maritime memorandum with Turkey, Washington appeared distanced to the issue and urged both neighboring countries to find a solution through negotiations.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the U.S. State Department has encouraged its partners in the Eastern Mediterranean “to resolve their maritime disputes through good faith negotiations,” in response to a question about the ratification of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum by Libya’s House of Representatives, based in the eastern part of Libya.
In its response, the U.S. State Department did not explicitly state a position on the legality of the memorandum or the decision taken by the Libyan parliament. Instead, it focused on the benefits of settling maritime disputes for investment and exploration in the region, while encouraging Greece and Turkiye to address their disagreements bilaterally.
Resolving maritime issues serves the interests of all sides and paves the way for commercial investment and exploration that will benefit the entire Mediterranean region, the U.S. State Department spokesperson added.
Referring to Athens and Ankara, the State Department noted that Greece and Turkiye are both NATO allies and encouraged them to engage in bilateral discussions to address any disagreements they may have.
Libya’s House of Representatives approved the 2019 memorandum on maritime delimitation between Turkiye and Libya on October 20. Athens rejected the decision, stressing that the memorandum contravenes the international law of the sea and violates the sovereign rights of states in the region.
The European Union also expressed its strong displeasure at the ratification. A statement issued by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on October 21 reiterated the position that the memorandum violates the sovereign rights of third states, is inconsistent with the law of the sea, and cannot produce legal effects for third states.
PS Washington’s approach must have shocked not only the Greek Foreign Ministry and its diplomats, but the whole government that has been performing deep bows to the Trump administration.
It was certainly a mistake – and something Greeks will never accept: that Foreign Policy does not change according to direction the wind blows.