Egypt on Wednesday rejected Libya’s eastern-based parliament’s ratification of a long-disputed maritime agreement with Turkey, saying it infringed on Cairo’s rights in the Mediterranean.
The agreement “constitutes a clear infringement upon Egypt’s sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf,” Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
Cairo said the agreement violates the Law of the Sea, and was therefore “null and void, possesses no legal effect, and that its ratification by the Libyan House of Representatives carries no legal consequences for Egypt.”
The agreement was ratified Tuesday by Libya’s Benghazi-based parliament, backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was historically one of Haftar’s strongest backers, but experts say relations have cooled in recent years due to Haftar allowing his territory to be used to funnel support to Sudanese paramilitaries.
Turkey and Egypt are also currently close security allies, and cooperate on a host of regional issues, though they have historically been on opposing sides in Libya.
Haftar’s forces have for years rivalled the internationally recognized government in Tripoli.
The parliament had also rejected the maritime deal first agreed by Ankara and the Tripoli-based government in 2019.
The deal has also angered European countries after it saw Ankara claim large and potentially gas-rich areas of the eastern Mediterranean.
The European Union on Tuesday reiterated its objection to the deal, calling it “null and void” and saying it “infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states,” including member states Greece and Cyprus.
In recent years relations between Turkey and the authorities in eastern Libya have warmed significantly, with both sides increasing political and economic contacts following years of hostility.
© Agence France-Presse
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