Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates joined Greece on Monday in condemning Turkey’s maritime agreement with Libya, warning that it threatens regional security and violates international law, Reuters reported.
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis delivered the joint statement at United Nations headquarters in New York on behalf of the four countries along with Cyprus and the European Union.
The statement called the 2019 accord “null and void” and warned that accepting bilateral agreements that disregard other countries’ rights could undermine international rules for settling maritime disputes.
Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives approved the pact on October 20, reversing years of opposition to an agreement signed by Turkey and Libya’s then-internationally recognized government in the western capital of Tripoli.
The agreement defines a maritime boundary that Turkey and Libya use to support their claims to offshore oil and gas exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece argues that the boundary disregards its islands’ rights to surrounding waters and seabed resources, particularly those of Crete, which lies between the Turkish and Libyan coasts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed objections from the European Union and other parties as lacking any legitimate basis in a speech after a Cabinet meeting on Monday.
He argued that Turkey was protecting its maritime rights and interests and called on countries seeking to exclude it from the eastern Mediterranean to respect the agreement with Libya.
The dispute also affects plans for energy exploration, with Greece having granted a Chevron-led consortium a license to search for gas off Crete.
Athens is also seeking a separate maritime boundary agreement with Libya, and Gerapetritis reaffirmed Monday that Greece was ready to continue those talks.
Libya’s rival eastern and western administrations emerged from the civil war that followed the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
Turkey’s military support helped the Tripoli government repel an offensive by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces in 2019-2020, when Egypt and the United Arab Emirates backed Haftar.
Ankara has since built relations with Haftar’s camp through visits by senior officials and commercial ties, while continuing to support the government in Tripoli.
