Eastern Libya: Unanimous vote approves Turkish sea corridor
The agreement creates an economic link across the Mediterranean, drawing sharp legal and political pushback from Athens and Brussels.
By Leila Reynolds ·
Parliament in eastern Libya voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a maritime agreement with Turkey.
The decision establishes a direct economic corridor between the two nations, reversing a previous stance by the region's government. This move is expected to intensify existing disputes in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly regarding maritime boundaries and resource rights.
The corridor connects Turkey's southern coastline with Libya's northern coast. Recent geological surveys indicate that the seabed in this zone contains substantial oil and gas deposits. Estimates suggest these natural gas reserves could be worth several hundred billion US dollars. Both Ankara and Tripoli aim to secure their economic claims to these resources and pursue joint exploitation.
The agreement disregards the presence of several Greek islands, including Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes. Athens maintains that it holds a comprehensive exclusive economic zone surrounding these territories. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated on X that it firmly rejects the accord. It noted that the European Union has declared the memorandum null and void because it violates the sovereign rights of third states and conflicts with the Law of the Sea.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, also voiced opposition. She wrote on X that she had raised the issue of the Libyan vote and emphasized that the move infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states.
The legal conflict centers on differing interpretations of international maritime law. Greece relies on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, specifically Article 121. This article grants inhabited islands that support an independent economic life the same exclusive economic zone rights as mainland territory. Athens argues this applies to major islands like Crete and Rhodes. It also cites a 2022 ruling by the International Court of Justice involving Colombia and Nicaragua, which established that overlapping maritime interests require fair demarcation based on coastline and geography.
Turkey contends that the specific geography of the Mediterranean requires special consideration. It argues that granting full exclusive economic zones to every small Greek island near its coast would effectively cut Turkey off from the open sea. Ankara has not signed the UN convention and does not accept arbitration by its tribunals. Legal experts remain divided on what constitutes a fair division in this specific region.
Political dynamics in Libya have shifted since 2019, when civil war was active and Turkey intervened militarily to support the government in Tripoli. That intervention helped repel an offensive led by eastern General Khalifa Hifter. Since then, a diplomatic approach has brought Hifter's camp closer to Ankara. Turkish companies have secured billions of dollars in reconstruction contracts. The state oil company TPAO is collaborating with Libya's National Oil Corporation on seismic surveys. Turkey also provides weapons and training to Hifter's forces, countering Egyptian and Russian influence.
The new corridor also challenges the planned EastMed pipeline, which was designed to transport gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to support EU energy security. The proposed route of the Turkish-Libyan corridor intersects with the pipeline's path. Turkey has argued that cable or pipeline projects on its claimed continental shelf require its consent. The region may face a split between a Turkey-Libya axis and an EU-supported group including Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel.
