Egypt has rejected the Libyan eastern parliament’s ratification of a maritime boundaries agreement with Turkey, declaring the deal legally invalid and insisting it has no effect on Cairo’s maritime rights.
In a statement on Wednesday, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement, approved by Libya’s eastern-based parliament on Tuesday, carries no legal weight.
“Egypt reaffirms that this memorandum is null and void … possesses no legal effect,” the ministry said.
The decision has reignited longstanding disputes over maritime boundaries and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean, drawing strong objections from Israel and Greece.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly” condemned the ratification, accusing Ankara of contributing to regional instability.
“Regretfully, once again we see Turkey working to destabilise the east Mediterranean region,” the ministry said.
The criticism comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Turkey, whose leaders have exchanged increasingly sharp rhetoric over developments in Syria and the war in Gaza.
Years of maritime disputes
The maritime agreement was originally signed in 2019 between Turkey and Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tripoli.
However, Libya’s eastern administration, under the leadership of military commander Khalifa Haftar, had withheld approval for years.
Tuesday’s ratification represents a significant political development in the longstanding dispute over maritime jurisdiction in the region.
Greece, Egypt and Cyprus have consistently opposed the agreement, arguing that its proposed maritime boundaries infringe upon their own territorial and economic rights.
Turkey maintains that the agreement is consistent with its maritime interests and rejects competing claims advanced by Athens and Cairo.
Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, have disputed maritime boundaries and energy exploration rights in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean for decades.
In 2020, Egypt and Greece signed a separate agreement establishing an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean, covering waters that overlap with areas claimed under the Turkey-Libya arrangement.
Ankara rejected that agreement, deepening an already complex diplomatic dispute involving several regional powers.
