Libyan Parliament Ratifies Turkey Sea Pact

The eastern Libyan parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to ratify a maritime agreement with Turkey. This move establishes a direct economic corridor connecting the two nations' coastlines and immediately sharpens regional tensions.

The legislation reverses a previous stance taken by the eastern government, which had opposed the initial 2019 deal signed by the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in the west. Ankara reacted positively, with its Foreign Ministry welcoming the ratification.

The corridor spans the Mediterranean Sea between Turkey's southern shore and Libya's northern coast. Recent discoveries in this sector indicate substantial hydrocarbon potential, with estimates suggesting gas reserves under the seabed could be worth several hundred billion US dollars. Both governments intend to secure joint economic rights to exploit these resources.

The planned route ignores the waters surrounding several Greek islands, including Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes. Athens maintains that these islands possess a comprehensive exclusive economic zone under international law. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated on X that it firmly rejects the accord, citing support from the European Union.

EU officials have echoed Athens's position. Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, wrote on X that the Libyan vote infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states. The EU has labeled the memorandum null and void because it violates the Law of the Sea and the rights of neighboring states.

The legal dispute centers on the interpretation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Greece relies on Article 121, which grants inhabited islands that support their own economic life the same exclusive economic zone rights as mainland territory. Athens points to a 2022 International Court of Justice ruling involving Colombia and Nicaragua, which established that overlapping maritime interests require a fair demarcation based on coastlines and geography.

Turkey counters that the specific geography of the Mediterranean deserves special consideration. Ankara argues that granting full exclusive economic zones to every small Greek island near its coast would effectively cut Turkey off from the open sea. Because Turkey has never signed the convention, it does not accept arbitration by a UN tribunal, and legal experts remain divided on the proper division.

Political dynamics in Libya have shifted since 2019, when Turkey intervened militarily to support the Tripoli government against General Khalifa Hifter. A subsequent rapprochement has led to a strong partnership between Ankara and Hifter's camp. Turkish firms have secured billions in reconstruction contracts, and the state oil company TPAO is conducting seismic surveys with Libya's National Oil Corporation. Turkey also provides weapons and training to eastern forces to counter Egyptian and Russian influence.

The new corridor also intersects the planned EastMed pipeline, which was designed to carry gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to the EU. Turkey has argued that cable or pipeline projects on its claimed continental shelf require its consent. The ratification suggests the region may split into two distinct blocs: a Turkey-Libya axis and an EU-supported grouping including Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel.