Turkey-Libya maritime boundaries deal ‘remains null and void,’ Greek foreign minister says

Greece Reasserts Opposition to Turkey-Libya Maritime Agreement

Usagevpn.com – Greece has renewed its rejection of the 2019 maritime boundaries memorandum between Turkey and Libya, with Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis saying the agreement has no legal standing and cannot be used to define Mediterranean sea zones.

Speaking on Monday in a joint declaration representing Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union, Gerapetritis addressed Libya’s House of Representatives’ recent decision to ratify the Turkish-Libyan memorandum. The declaration said that move has intensified concerns over stability and security in the wider region.

The memorandum in question remains null and void and without legal effect, runs counter to international law and cannot serve as a lawful basis for the delimitation of maritime zones, nor can it produce legal consequences for third states.

The dispute centres on the 2019 memorandum covering maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean. Maritime delimitations can affect the rights of coastal countries over waters and seabed areas, making them significant for regional cooperation, legal certainty and relations between neighbouring states.

International law at the centre of the dispute

Gerapetritis said maritime boundaries must be assessed through international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, widely known as UNCLOS, together with customary international law. In his view, these standards are essential because they create a predictable framework for states whose maritime interests overlap.

Rather than treating bilateral arrangements as self-contained, the joint declaration argued that agreements affecting the Mediterranean must respect the rights of other coastal states. It warned that arrangements made outside the relevant legal principles could weaken the broader international system governing the peaceful resolution of disputes.

These rules are of fundamental importance for safeguarding predictability, legal certainty and peaceful relations among states.

The statement maintained that the Turkey-Libya memorandum does not meet those standards. It said the agreement fails to reflect the region’s geographical realities and overlooks the maritime rights of coastal countries involved, including island rights recognised under UNCLOS.

For Greece and the other signatories, the issue is not limited to a disagreement between two parties to a memorandum. Their declaration framed it as a test of whether bilateral deals can be used to affect the interests and legal entitlements of states that did not participate in them.

Concerns over precedent and regional relations

Gerapetritis cautioned that accepting agreements which disregard established international rules could have consequences beyond the immediate Mediterranean dispute. He said such an approach could set a harmful precedent and erode principles intended to support peaceful settlement between states.

Accepting bilateral agreements that disregard the applicable rules and principles of international law would create a dangerous precedent, undermining the international legal order and the principles on which the peaceful settlement of disputes is based.

The declaration added that Libya’s parliamentary ratification does not change the legal assessment advanced by its signatories. In their view, a domestic decision by Libya’s House of Representatives cannot transform an agreement they consider incompatible with international law into a valid basis for maritime delimitation.

The Mediterranean contains closely situated coastlines, islands and competing interests, which makes legal clarity especially important. Delimitation questions can influence how states approach maritime planning and diplomatic engagement. The joint statement therefore presented adherence to common legal rules as a practical safeguard against further tension.

Support for a stable and united Libya

Despite their criticism of the memorandum, the signatories expressed support for Libya’s institutional reunification and for the prospect of a united, prosperous country. They stressed that Libya’s stability and active participation in regional cooperation are important to peace and security across the Mediterranean.

The declaration linked Libya’s political transition with its external relationships, saying both should be guided by international law and good-neighbourly conduct. That language places the maritime disagreement within a broader appeal for constructive relations among Mediterranean states.

Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union used the statement to underscore a shared position: maritime arrangements should not prejudice the rights of third countries or depart from recognised legal principles. Their message was that regional cooperation requires rules accepted as legitimate by all parties whose interests may be affected.

By restating that position after Libya’s House of Representatives ratified the 2019 memorandum, Gerapetritis made clear that Greece does not regard the parliamentary decision as resolving the underlying dispute. The legal and diplomatic disagreement over Mediterranean maritime zones remains firmly in place.