Libya rejected Egypt's decision to demarcate maritime borders, saying that it violates territorial integrity.
"This demarcation is unjust because it was unilaterally announced, it violates Libya's territorial integrity and the principles of good faith and respect for sovereignty," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The delimitation of the borders between the two countries must take place by mutual agreement through negotiations that guarantee the interests of both parties and respect the principle of equality", it added.
In November 2019, Türkiye and Libya signed a maritime delimitation deal that provided a legal framework to prevent any fait accompli by regional states. Accordingly, the attempts by the Greek government to appropriate huge parts of Libya's continental shelf, when a political crisis hit the North African country in 2011, were averted.
The agreement also confirmed that Türkiye and Libya are maritime neighbors. The delimitation starts from Fethiye-Marmaris-Kaş on Türkiye’s southwestern coast and extends to the Derna-Tobruk-Bordia coastline of Libya.
In response, Egypt and Greece signed an agreement in August 2020, designating an EEZ in the Eastern Mediterranean between the two countries.
Türkiye had questioned the legitimacy of the Egypt-Greece agreement, vowing to keep the country's earlier-signed maritime pact with the Tripoli government in place.
Later in 2021, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye may negotiate a maritime demarcation agreement with Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean, depending on the condition of bilateral ties.
Most recently, Türkiye and Libya rebuked Greek criticism of their agreements on the delimitation of hydrocarbon and maritime jurisdiction areas, urging Athens to cease its baseless accusations, hostile rhetoric and escalatory actions, and instead respect the sovereign decisions of the two countries in a letter jointly sent to the United Nations.
Türkiye and Libya's permanent representatives to the U.N., Feridun Sinirlioğlu and Taher El-Sonni, argued in the joint letter that the memorandum of understanding signed on Oct. 3, 2022 between the Government of National Unity in Libya and the Republic of Türkiye on cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons is “a legal instrument based on the principle of sovereign equality” and it “envisages the development of bilateral cooperation, both on land and at sea in the Eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, it is in full observance of the principles of international law concerning friendly relations and cooperation among states.”
In recent years, Türkiye, already at odds with Greece over several issues, including competing claims to jurisdiction, energy exploration and maritime boundaries in the Aegean, has seen deteriorating relations with its fellow NATO member because of its increasing cooperation with Libya, wherein Ankara has been a significant supporter of the Tripoli government.
