Libya Ratifies Turkey Maritime Pact, Igniting Clash With Athens
The new economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean bypasses Greek islands, prompting Brussels to declare the deal invalid.
By Vanessa Lopez ·
Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean escalated sharply on Tuesday when Libya’s parliament voted unanimously to endorse a maritime agreement with Turkey. This decision establishes a direct economic corridor between the two nations and places it in direct opposition to Greek territorial claims. The move is expected to deepen the diplomatic rift between Ankara and Athens, transforming a long-standing geopolitical dispute into a more immediate economic confrontation.
The agreement reverses the position taken by the eastern Libyan government in 2019, when the rival administration in Tripoli, recognized by the United Nations, first agreed to the corridor. At that time, the eastern parliament had opposed the deal. However, the political landscape in Libya has shifted significantly since the civil war, leading to a rapprochement between Ankara and the eastern forces. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the recent vote as a confirmation of its strategic partnership with the country.
The proposed corridor connects Turkey’s southern coastline with Libya’s northern coast. The area is rich in natural resources, with recent discoveries suggesting that natural gas reserves worth several hundred billion US dollars may lie beneath the seabed. Both Ankara and Tripoli aim to secure their economic rights to these deposits and plan to exploit them jointly. This economic drive is central to the new agreement and its implications for regional energy security.
Greece has firmly rejected the accord, arguing that it ignores the exclusive economic zones around key islands such as Crete, Rhodes, and Karpathos. Athens relies on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants inhabited islands the same maritime rights as mainland territory. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated that the EU supports this rejection, labeling the memorandum as null and void because it violates the sovereign rights of third states and conflicts with established maritime law.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, reinforced this stance by noting that the Libyan vote infringes upon the rights of neighboring states. The core of the legal dispute lies in how to divide the sea. Greece points to a 2022 ruling by the International Court of Justice that requires fair demarcation based on geography and coastlines. Conversely, Turkey argues that its geography deserves special consideration to prevent it from being cut off from the open sea. Ankara does not accept arbitration by a UN tribunal because it has not signed the convention.
The political dynamics in Libya have also evolved. Since 2019, when Turkey intervened militarily to support the government in Tripoli, Ankara has engaged in a charm offensive with the eastern camp. Turkish firms have secured billions in reconstruction contracts, and the state oil company is collaborating with Libya’s National Oil Corporation on seismic surveys. Turkey also provides weapons and training to eastern forces, a move designed to counter Egyptian and Russian influence in the region.
The new corridor also poses a threat to the planned EastMed pipeline, which is intended to transport gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to the EU. Since the corridor cuts across the planned route, Turkey argues that any pipeline project on its claimed continental shelf requires its consent. In the long term, the region risks splitting into two distinct blocs: one aligned with Turkey and Libya, and another supported by the EU, including Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel.
