The Turkiye-Libya maritime deal, formally known as the maritime delimitation agreement, was signed in November 2019 between Turkey and the Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, Libya. The pact delineates an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Mediterranean Sea, granting Turkey maritime jurisdiction over a sizeable part of the eastern Mediterranean, stretching close to the Greek islands. This agreement is significant because it bypasses the maritime zones claimed by Greece and Cyprus, causing considerable diplomatic friction in the region.
The deal’s core objective for Turkey is to secure energy exploration rights and assert influence in the strategically vital eastern Mediterranean, an area rich in natural gas resources. For Libya’s GNA, the deal provided military and political support from Turkey amid Libya’s ongoing civil conflict and external interventions.
However, this agreement has faced strong opposition from the European Union (EU) and Egypt, among others. The EU, particularly Greece and Cyprus, reject the deal as it infringes upon their sovereign rights and maritime claims under international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Turkey has not ratified. The EU sees the agreement as destabilizing the broader geopolitical balance in the Mediterranean and has called for dialogue and respect for international norms.
Egypt’s opposition is rooted in both geopolitical and strategic concerns. The deal discounts Egypt’s maritime claims and disrupts the existing maritime boundaries that Egypt has established agreements for, especially with Greece and Cyprus. Egypt also views Turkey’s expanding influence in Libya through this agreement as a threat to its own national security and regional influence, particularly since Egypt supports the eastern Libyan faction based in Tobruk, an adversary of the Tripoli-based GNA.
A recent shift occurred as Libya’s eastern parliament, aligned with the Tobruk-based government, expressed support for a maritime deal with Ankara. Analysts interpret this as a significant realignment of alliances in Libya and the Mediterranean, signaling potential changes in the ongoing civil conflict and the geopolitical dynamics of the region.
In summary, the Turkiye-Libya maritime deal represents a bold strategy by Turkey to assert control and access to energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the EU and Egypt’s opposition stems from concerns over sovereignty violations, regional balance of power disturbances, and the implications for Libya’s internal conflict dynamics. The ongoing shifts in Libya’s political alignments add further complexity to this already volatile regional situation.
