Eastern Mediterranean Tensions: Libya's Parliament Ratifies Maritime Pact With Turkey
A new economic corridor between Ankara and Tripoli ignores Greek islands, prompting the EU to declare the deal legally invalid.
By Tariq Mahmoud ·
For residents of the eastern Mediterranean, the approval of a new maritime corridor between Turkey and Libya signals a shift in regional economic dynamics. The decision, passed unanimously by the Libyan parliament on Tuesday, establishes a direct link between the southern coast of Turkey and the northern coast of Libya. While the agreement primarily affects energy strategy, it is expected to heighten tensions with Greece, which views the new boundary as an encroachment on its established territorial rights.
The corridor connects the two nations across the sea, a region recently identified as holding substantial oil and gas reserves. Estimates suggest that natural gas deposits under the seabed could be worth several hundred billion US dollars. Both Ankara and Tripoli aim to secure their economic rights to these resources and develop them jointly. This move reverses a previous stance by the eastern Libyan parliament, which had opposed the original 2019 agreement made with the western Government of National Accord. Turkey's Foreign Ministry welcomed the recent vote, noting the renewed cooperation.
The agreement has drawn sharp criticism from Athens, which claims a comprehensive exclusive economic zone around its islands, including Crete, Rhodes, and Karpathos. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated on X that it firmly rejects the accord with the backing of the European Union. Brussels has declared the memorandum null and void, arguing that 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 and security policy, echoed this sentiment, writing that the Libyan vote infringes upon the rights of neighboring states.
The core of the legal dispute lies in the interpretation of island sovereignty. Greece relies on Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants inhabited islands that support their own economic life the same maritime rights as mainland territory. Athens points to a 2022 International Court of Justice ruling involving Colombia and Nicaragua, which emphasized fair demarcation of overlapping interests. In contrast, Turkey argues that the geography of the Mediterranean requires special consideration. Ankara contends that if every small Greek island near its coast received a full economic zone, Turkey would be effectively cut off from the open sea. As Turkey did not sign the convention, it does not accept arbitration by a UN tribunal, and legal experts remain divided on what constitutes a fair division.
Political dynamics in Libya have evolved significantly since 2019, when civil war led to a Turkish military intervention supporting the Tripoli government against an offensive by eastern General Khalifa Hifter. Since then, a Turkish charm offensive has fostered closer ties with Hifter's camp. Turkish firms have secured billions in reconstruction contracts, and the state oil company TPAO is collaborating with Libya's National Oil Corporation on seismic surveys. Additionally, Turkey supplies weapons and training to Hifter's forces, positioning itself against Egyptian and Russian influence in the east.
The new corridor also poses a challenge to the planned EastMed pipeline, which is designed to transport gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to enhance EU energy security. The proposed route of the new corridor intersects with this pipeline path. Turkey has maintained that any cable or pipeline projects on its claimed continental shelf require its consent. In the long term, the region may divide into two distinct blocs: a Turkey-Libya axis and an EU-supported grouping of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel.
Source: Deutsche Welle
