EU and Egypt Reject Libya-Turkey Maritime Deal After Tobruk Parliament Ratification

Libya's Tobruk-based House of Representatives voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a 2019 maritime boundary agreement with Turkey, reversing the parliament's own 2020 rejection of the deal.

The European Union and Egypt immediately rejected the ratification, calling the agreement "null and void". Greece said the accord violates international law and briefed the UN Security Council. Israel also condemned the move.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan dismissed the criticism, calling the deal "entirely legitimate".

The memorandum of understanding was originally signed in Istanbul on 27 November 2019 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fayez al-Sarraj, then-prime minister of the UN-recognised government in Tripoli. It draws a sea border between Turkey and Libya across the eastern Mediterranean, allowing Ankara to claim large and potentially gas-rich areas of the region.

Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the agreement infringes "upon Egypt's sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf" and stated the ratification "carries no legal consequences for Egypt".

The vote extends Turkey's foothold across both of Libya's rival political factions. Ankara previously helped the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord repel a 2020 offensive by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army. Tuesday's ratification by Haftar's aligned parliament signals a broader Turkish rapprochement with the east.