Libya: Lawmakers ratify Turkish sea route

Libya’s parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a maritime agreement with Turkey.

The resolution establishes a direct economic link between the two nations’ coastlines. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision immediately.

The corridor connects Turkey’s southern shore to Libya’s northern shore. Recent surveys indicate that natural gas reserves beneath this seabed could be worth several hundred billion US dollars. Ankara and Tripoli aim to secure joint economic rights to exploit these deposits.

The move reverses a position taken by the eastern government in 2019, when it opposed the original pact signed by the western Government of National Accord. Political dynamics in Libya have shifted since the civil war. A Turkish diplomatic push has improved relations with General Khalifa Hifter’s camp in the east. Turkish construction firms have secured billions of dollars in reconstruction contracts. The state oil company TPAO is also planning seismic surveys with Libya’s National Oil Corporation. Ankara supplies weapons and training to Hifter’s forces to counter Egyptian and Russian influence.

Greece has rejected the accord firmly. Athens argues that its exclusive economic zone covers the islands of Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated on X that the EU supports its stance, labeling the memorandum null and void. The ministry claimed the deal violates the sovereign rights of third states and conflicts with the Law of the Sea.

Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, echoed this sentiment. She wrote on X that the Libyan vote infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states.

The legal dispute centers on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Article 121 grants inhabited islands the same economic zone rights as mainland territory. Athens cites this provision and a 2022 International Court of Justice ruling regarding Colombia and Nicaragua. That ruling emphasized fair demarcation based on coastlines and geography. Turkey contends that Mediterranean geography requires special consideration. It argues that full economic zones for small Greek islands would cut Turkey off from the open sea. Ankara did not sign the convention and does not accept arbitration by UN tribunals.

The new route crosses the planned path of the EastMed pipeline. That project is designed to transport gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to the EU. Turkey maintains that any pipeline on its claimed continental shelf requires its consent. This development may divide the region into two distinct groups: a Turkey-Libya axis and an EU-supported bloc comprising Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel.