TRIPOLI, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously approved a 2019 maritime agreement with Türkiye that defines the sea areas in which the two countries may claim rights over natural resources in the Mediterranean.
The parliament also voted to repeal two resolutions adopted in 2020. The first rejected ratification of two agreements signed by the former Libyan government with Türkiye, while the second called for severing political relations with Ankara.
The vote marks a shift in the Libyan parliament's position on the maritime agreement, which has been a source of political and regional tensions since its signing in 2019.
Libya and Türkiye signed the maritime memorandum of understanding on Nov. 27, 2019, when Libya was governed by the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). The two countries also signed a separate agreement on security and military cooperation on the same day.
The maritime agreement, which entered into force on Dec. 8, 2019, seeks to delimit the continental shelf and exclusive economic zones claimed by the two countries. These maritime areas determine the extent of their rights to explore and exploit natural resources, including oil and natural gas.
The agreement was signed during a military offensive by forces led by Khalifa Haftar against the GNA in Tripoli. Türkiye provided military support to the government, helping it repel the offensive. This deepened tensions between Ankara and Libya's eastern-based political camp, including the House of Representatives, which opposed the agreements signed by the former government.
The maritime deal also drew objections from Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, which dispute the agreement's validity and its implications for their own maritime claims. One major point of disagreement concerns the extent to which Greek islands, particularly Crete, generate maritime zones that affect the boundaries claimed by Türkiye and Libya.
In a letter submitted to the UN Security Council in December 2019, Greece said the agreement violates international law of the sea and that it "openly infringes on Greece's sovereign rights."
The parliament's approval could open the door to closer maritime and economic cooperation between Libya and Türkiye, including potential seismic surveys and oil and gas exploration. However, the vote does not resolve the broader legal and regional disputes over the agreement or settle competing maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean. ■
