Greece has secured the backing of Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in its dispute with Turkey over a maritime agreement with Libya, as the four countries warn that the deal threatens regional stability and international law.According to Reuters, the four countries issued a joint statement at the United Nations in New York on Monday, days after Libya’s eastern parliament approved the maritime boundaries agreement originally signed by Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based government in 2019.The move has reignited tensions over competing sea claims in the eastern Mediterranean, where Greece and Cyprus say the deal infringes on their maritime rights.Greek foreign minister George Gerapetritis delivered a joint statement at the United Nations on behalf of Greece, Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE, Cyprus and the European Union, declaring the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum “null and void”.“The recent decision of the Libyan House of Representatives to approve the 2019 so-called ‘Turkish-Libyan Memorandum of Understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea’ raises serious concerns for regional security and stability,” Gerapetritis said.
The joint statement warned that accepting bilateral arrangements that disregard international law “would set a dangerous precedent”, adding that the agreement disregards the maritime rights of coastal states, including the rights of islands under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).The signatories said the Libyan parliament’s approval did not change their position on the agreement’s legal status and called for maritime disputes to be resolved through dialogue and international law.The signatories said the Libyan parliament’s approval did not change their position on the agreement’s legal status and called for maritime disputes to be resolved through dialogue and international law.Turkey has defended the agreement as consistent with international law and the mutual interests of Ankara and Tripoli. Its foreign ministry also welcomed the eastern Libyan parliament’s approval, saying Turkey would continue working with regional partners to promote security, stability and peace in the Mediterranean.What is the Turkey-Libya maritime accord and why is it disputed?Turkey and Libya signed a maritime boundaries agreement on November 27, 2019, seeking to define their respective maritime jurisdiction areas in the eastern Mediterranean.The memorandum was signed in Istanbul by Turkey and Libya’s then internationally recognised Government of National Accord, based in Tripoli. It established a maritime boundary between the two countries’ claimed continental shelves and exclusive economic zones (EEZs), areas that carry rights over natural resources and certain economic activities.The agreement is controversial because its proposed boundary crosses an area where Greece claims maritime rights based on its islands, particularly Crete. Athens argues that Turkey and Libya cannot reach a bilateral arrangement that disregards the maritime entitlements of Greek islands.Turkey, which is not a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), disputes Greece’s interpretation of how islands should affect maritime boundary delimitation.The dispute also has implications for Egypt and Cyprus, which oppose the agreement over concerns that it overlaps with their own maritime claims. Egypt and Greece signed a separate agreement in 2020 establishing an exclusive economic zone in parts of the eastern Mediterranean, a move Ankara opposes.The maritime disagreement has gained importance as countries seek access to potential offshore oil and gas resources. Greece has granted a Chevron-led consortium a licence to explore for hydrocarbons south of Crete, while Athens is pursuing a separate maritime demarcation agreement with Libya.