EU condemns Libya's HoR ratification of Turkey maritime deal

Libya's House of Representatives in Benghazi ratified on 20 October a maritime memorandum with Turkey that eastern Libya had opposed for nearly seven years, drawing condemnation from the European Union, Greece, Israel and Egypt.

The vote is widely read as the work of Saddam Haftar, son of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, who analysts say is manoeuvring to become Libya's president. Two weeks before the ratification, the chamber removed its longtime speaker Aguila Saleh — an ally of Cairo who had held the post for 12 years — replacing him with Al-Salhin Abdulnabi, who had chaired the HoR's Libyan-Turkish friendship committee.

The United States is currently trying to broker a power-sharing arrangement between Tripoli and Benghazi. Massad Boulos, senior adviser to President Donald Trump for Arab and African affairs, is leading that effort, and a deal could install Saddam Haftar as president — an outcome that requires Ankara's endorsement given Turkey's influence over western Libya.

Saddam Haftar's ratification move is interpreted as an attempt to secure that Turkish backing. Ankara's sway gives it a decisive voice in any settlement, putting Trump's transactional approach in direct tension with objections from Athens, Nicosia and Israel.

Europe's leverage is limited. After Benghazi expelled the EU's migration commissioner and three member-state ministers on arrival in July 2024, European capitals mounted only a muted response, leaving the bloc with little standing in subsequent negotiations.