The Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the approval of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum on the delimitation of maritime zones by Libya’s House of Representatives.
The ministry made clear that it rejects the decision and is committed to “taking all appropriate action to safeguard its sovereign rights”.
The Foreign Ministry’s statement in full reads:
“Greece rejects the decision by Libya’s House of Representatives to approve the spurious 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum on the delimitation of maritime zones.
This decision does not alter the memorandum’s illegal, null and void character. The memorandum violates the International Law of the Sea and infringes on the sovereign rights of states in the region.
Geography and the International Law of the Sea are not changed by unilateral, legally unfounded parliamentary decisions. Turkey and Libya do not have opposite or adjacent coasts that provide a legal basis for the attempted delimitation of maritime zones. The memorandum also disregards the Greek islands and their rights to maritime zones under UNCLOS and customary international law.
Having already concluded agreements delimiting maritime zones with Egypt and Italy in accordance with the International Law of the Sea, Greece has demonstrated its respect for international law and the sovereign rights of neighbouring states. We call on the Libyan side to refrain from any action that violates international law and undermines stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greece has already informed its partners and allies and will take all appropriate action to safeguard its sovereign rights.”
It is recalled that eastern Libya’s parliament approved the maritime agreement with Turkey (the Turkish-Libyan “memorandum”) and reversed a 2020 decision to boycott it, two lawmakers told Reuters.
The agreement was signed in 2019 by the then internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) of western Libya, prompting opposition from the eastern side, Greece and Egypt.
Two Libyan lawmakers told Reuters that the agreement was expected to strengthen the country’s position politically, economically and strategically. Lawmaker Tarek al-Jeroushi said Libya’s national interest was the priority, despite possible objections from other countries.
The approval comes as the country remains divided between rival administrations, with the east under the influence of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.