Libyan parliament ratifies maritime agreement with Turkey amid regional tensions

On October 20, 2026, the Libyan House of Representatives approved the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on the delimitation of maritime zones with Turkey. The Turkish Ministry of Defense and the Turkish-Cypriot authorities welcomed the move as a historic step based on international law. Conversely, the European Union, along with Greece, France, Italy, Israel, and Egypt, condemned the ratification, maintaining that the memorandum violates the sovereign rights of third states and contravenes the Law of the Sea.

In response to this development, Greece and Egypt have initiated talks to expand their own 2020 partial maritime delimitation agreement, aiming to extend it eastward. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty formally communicated Cairo's categorical rejection of the Turkey-Libya memorandum to his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, during their meeting in Istanbul on October 23. Fidan reportedly acknowledged the Egyptian concerns and emphasized the need for ongoing consultations. Meanwhile, Greece has submitted a formal letter to the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, reiterating its position that the memorandum is invalid and lacks legal standing against third parties.

Political analysts suggest that the sudden shift in the Libyan parliament's stance, which had previously rejected the agreement, may be linked to complex domestic political processes and external diplomatic maneuvers involving figures such as Saddam Haftar.