Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, raised with Security Council members the issue of eastern Libya’s parliament ratifying the unlawful 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum, on the instructions of Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, during closed-door consultations.
Ms Balta, who spoke in her national capacity as Greece holds the Council presidency this month, highlighted the risks the decision by eastern Libya’s parliament poses to stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.
This was the first time the issue has been discussed by the Security Council. Until now, the positions of the parties involved had been conveyed to the UN through official letters and maps. Countries in the region, including Cyprus, Egypt and Italy, had also reacted and exchanged relevant correspondence.
France, a permanent member of the Security Council, has deemed the memorandum invalid since 2020.
According to sources, Greece’s Permanent Representative stressed that geography does not change and that international law of the sea cannot be rewritten through unilateral decisions.
Greece has stressed that it has approached the Libyan authorities in good faith and engaged in talks on the delimitation of maritime zones.
Ms Balta also reiterated Greece’s longstanding position, which it put forward during its two-year term on the Security Council, in favour of ending foreign interference in Libya, stressing that the country should not become an arena for geopolitical rivalries.
Greece reaffirmed its support for the unification of Libyan institutions and the advancement of the political process. The Permanent Representative stressed, however, that these goals cannot be pursued at the expense of the sovereignty and sovereign rights of third countries, nor can Libya’s stability be achieved by causing instability beyond its borders.
Source: AMNA