Egypt Greece EU Reject Maritime Deal Following Libyan Parliament Ratification 2019 Maritime Deal With Türkiye
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The Arab Post
- . October 22, 2026
- . Update: October 22, 2026 2:04 pm
The Eastern Mediterranean was rocked by diplomatic tremors on Wednesday with Egypt, Greece and the European Union (EU) officially refusing to sign the Libyan Parliament maritime agreement with Türkiye for 2019. Libya Maritime Accord Deal, The Eastern Mediterranean came to a standstill on Wednesday with Egypt, Greece and the European Union (EU) rejecting the Libyan Parliament ratification of the 2019 maritime agreement with Türkiye. The consensus reached by the eastern-based Libyan House of Representatives essentially restored an extremely contentious territorial agreement which has the effect of changing Libyan Turkey maritime boundaries.
The sudden change in legislation was made on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The Libyan House of Representatives lawmakers not only approved the 2019 memorandum of understanding but also invalidated a resolution they adopted in 2020 that boycotted the memorandum and urged for cutting political relations with the Turkish capital Ankara.
Egypt Greece EU Reject Maritime Deal as Unlawful – Libya Maritime Accord Deal
Regional powers responded quickly and concertedly. On Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong statement, stating that there are no legal implications in the ratification from Cairo’s point of view. Officials in Egypt pointed out that the agreement borders on the western Egyptian coast, which is considered one of the country’s policies, and that it is a purely non-binding agreement.
Likewise, there was a joint condemnation from the EU. The memorandum “clearly breaches the territorial integrity of third States and the international law of the sea”, said the leaders of the European Council and European Commission. The bloc restated its “full support for Greece and Cyprus”.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs also restated its opposition, which dates back to the period before the vote, saying that the decision in the Parliament does not change the “intrinsically illegal” nature of the memorandum. Regional capitals say that the treaty makes an “agression” of Greek islands a point it deliberately fails to mention, directly threatening the balance in the Eastern Mediterranean energy.
Libyan Parliament ratifies 2019 maritime deal with Türkiye
Ankara Defends Maritime Accord and Welcomes Libyan Shift
Ankara, on the other hand, claims that the provisions of the maritime accords are fully in line with international notions of equity. The Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye made a strong endorsement of the Libyan legislative decision after the vote on Tuesday.The Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye had made heavy endorsements on the Libyan legislative decision after the vote on Tuesday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed his satisfaction at a parliamentary group meeting about the ratification in the presence of the public. The Turkish side argues that the deal is entirely legal and is in the legitimate sovereign interests of both parties to the agreement against other regional claims.
In the end, the Libyan Parliament ratification 2019 maritime deal is a huge shift in the Libyan Eastern governments’ political stance, which stood against Tripoli-based pacts to date. A renewed enforcement of these Libya Turkey maritime boundaries practically ensures an escalation of diplomatic tension and naval posturing among the two countries for the highly contested Eastern Mediterranean energy reserves, while Ankara defends the legality of the maritime accord.
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