Libya unifies coast with Turkey

The Libyan parliament cast a unanimous vote on Tuesday to ratify a maritime agreement with Turkey, establishing a direct economic corridor between the two nations. This legislative move marks a definitive end to years of internal division over the deal's validity and sets the stage for intensified friction with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean.

The corridor connects Turkey's southern coastline to Libya's northern shore. Recent discoveries of large oil and gas deposits in the seabed have increased the strategic value of the area. Estimates suggest the natural gas reserves beneath the water could be worth several hundred billion US dollars. Ankara and Tripoli intend to secure their economic rights to these resources and exploit them jointly.

The 2026 vote represents a major shift from the political landscape of 2019. At that time, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in western Libya agreed to the corridor, while the rival government in the east opposed it. The eastern parliament has now reversed its position. Turkey's Foreign Ministry welcomed the vote, signaling a consolidated front between the two states.

Greece has reacted with sharp opposition. Athens claims a comprehensive exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around its islands, including Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes. The new corridor effectively ignores these islands. Greece's Foreign Ministry stated on X that it firmly rejects the accord with the backing of the European Union. The EU called the memorandum null and void, arguing it violates the sovereign rights of third states and conflicts with the Law of the Sea.

Kaja Kallas, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, echoed these concerns. She wrote on X that she had raised the issue of the Libyan vote and stressed that the agreement infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states. The dispute centers on the interpretation of international maritime law and the rights of islands to define coastal boundaries.

Greece relies on Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants inhabited islands that support an economic life the same EEZ rights as mainland territory. Athens points to a 2022 ruling by the International Court of Justice involving Colombia and Nicaragua to support its stance on fair demarcation. Turkey, which did not sign the convention, argues that Mediterranean geography requires special consideration to prevent it from being cut off from the open sea.

Political dynamics in Libya have shifted since the civil war of 2019, when Turkey intervened militarily to support the Tripoli government against an offensive by eastern General Khalifa Hifter. A subsequent rapprochement has seen Turkish firms win reconstruction contracts worth billions. Turkey's state oil company TPAO is now working with Libya's National Oil Corporation on seismic surveys. The agreement also threatens the planned EastMed pipeline, which was designed to carry gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to the EU. The new corridor cuts across the pipeline's route, complicating its construction.

The ratification suggests the region may split into two competing blocs: a Turkey-Libya axis and an EU-supported grouping of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel. Legal experts disagree on how to fairly divide the maritime space. The immediate consequence is a solidified economic link between Ankara and Tripoli, with Greece and its allies preparing to contest the boundary lines.