Libya approves sea deal with Turkey, drawing sharp Greek rejection

Libyan parliament members voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a maritime agreement with Turkey. The measure establishes a direct economic corridor between the two nations' coastlines. Turkey's foreign ministry welcomed the decision immediately after the vote concluded.

The deal reverses a position held by Libya's eastern government, which previously opposed the compact. Turkey had originally agreed to the corridor in 2019 with the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in the west. The shift in Libyan politics stems from a reconciliation between Ankara and the forces of General Khalifa Hifter in the east. Turkish firms have secured billions of dollars in reconstruction contracts, and the state oil company TPAO is now conducting joint seismic surveys with Libya's National Oil Corporation.

The corridor spans the waters between Turkey's southern shore and Libya's northern coast. Estimates suggest that natural gas reserves worth several hundred billion US dollars lie beneath the seabed in this area. Both governments aim to secure economic rights to these deposits and manage their exploitation jointly.

Greece has reacted with firm opposition. Athens argues that the agreement ignores the exclusive economic zones surrounding Greek islands, including Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated on social media that it rejects the accord with the backing of the European Union. Brussels declared the memorandum null and void because it violates the sovereign rights of third states and contradicts the Law of the Sea.

Kaja Kallas, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, echoed these sentiments. She wrote that she had raised the issue with Libyan officials and stressed that the vote infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states. Greece bases its claim on Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants inhabited islands the same economic rights as mainland territory. Athens cites a 2022 International Court of Justice ruling regarding Colombia and Nicaragua to support its stance on fair demarcation.

Turkey disputes this interpretation. Ankara argues that if every small Greek island near its coast received a full economic zone, Turkey would be largely cut off from the open sea. Since Turkey has never signed the UN convention, it does not accept arbitration by a UN tribunal. The disagreement over the corridor also poses a physical threat to the planned EastMed pipeline. That project intends to transport gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to the EU. The new maritime boundary cuts across the pipeline's intended route, and Turkey has argued that it must consent to any such infrastructure on its claimed continental shelf.