US Denounces Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal as 2019 Sea Pact Rekindles Mediterranean Tensions
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 1
US Denounces Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal as 2019 Sea Pact Rekindles Mediterranean Tensions
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 1
Summary
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Libya’s ratification of the Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum has raised regional tensions and is “unhelpful and provocative,” urging disputes to be settled through good-faith negotiations.
The accord, approved by eastern Libya’s parliament in mid-October, is contested because critics say it redraws Mediterranean sea boundaries in a gas-rich region and sidelines Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli.
Turkey rejected the criticism, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan calling the deal entirely legitimate under international law and saying there was no need to debate it.
Greece, the EU and Israel all condemned the memorandum, with Brussels repeating that the 2019 pact is null and void, while Athens said it has no legal effect.
The dispute reaches beyond diplomacy because contested waters near Crete affect energy exploration, NATO allies Greece and Turkey, and U.S. companies including Exxon and Chevron.