Egypt rejects Libyan ratification of maritime agreement with Turkey

Cairo, Egypt. Egypt on Wednesday firmly rejected the Libyan parliament’s ratification of a 2019 maritime memorandum with Turkey. Cairo warned Ankara that it would not permit challenges to Egyptian sovereign rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Egypt sets out legal objections

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the memorandum was entirely invalid and had no legal effect for Egypt. According to the ministry, it breaches maritime law principles and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which regulate how continental shelves and exclusive economic zones are delimited.

The ministry said the agreement clearly infringed Egypt’s sovereign rights over its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It reiterated Egypt’s earlier opposition to the memorandum and rejected any actions taken by any party on its basis.

Cairo said the agreement conflicted with Egypt’s declared maritime boundaries. It maintained that international law entitled Egypt to defend its rights and counter any attempt to infringe them.

Libyan vote draws Israeli criticism

Libya’s parliament unanimously approved the agreement on Tuesday, roughly seven years after Turkey and Libya’s internationally recognised government signed it.

Israel also denounced the vote. In a post on X, its Foreign Ministry said the decision infringed the sovereign rights of Israel’s close regional allies. The ministry also expressed regret, accusing Turkey of once again seeking to destabilise the Eastern Mediterranean.

Kallas raises concerns with Fidan

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, discussed the issue with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Brussels on Wednesday.

Kallas said she had told Fidan that the vote encroached on third states’ sovereign rights.