ATHENS – Greece is preparing a formal rebuttal to two diplomatic notes from Libya’s Tripoli-based government challenging maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, accusing Turkey of orchestrating the move to bolster its regional influence.
The notes, submitted to the United Nations, are tied to the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime agreement, which Greece and the European Union have consistently declared null and void.
The Greek Foreign Ministry is drafting a response, likely including maps, to counter Libya’s “far-fetched” claims over sea zones. It has yet to decide whether to address both notes in a single letter or separately. The response will reaffirm Greece’s maritime zones under international law, citing agreements with Italy and Egypt, and denounce the Turkey-Libya deal as legally baseless. Libya’s claims also conflict with existing agreements and international court rulings.
Aguila Saleh (center), speaker of the House of Representatives in Benghazi, is expected to visit Athens.
Despite recent efforts by Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis to mend ties with Tripoli, Athens views the Dbeibah government as a proxy for Turkey’s strategic goals in the Mediterranean. Greece is working closely with Egypt, which previously rejected the Turkey-Libya memorandum in its own UN submission. Libya’s latest statements also target the 2020 Greece-Egypt partial maritime delimitation accord, calling it “invalid and illegal.”
Tensions escalated following Greece’s April submission of a maritime spatial plan to the EU and a June international tender for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete, both of which drew swift objections from Tripoli and Ankara. The situation intensified when Libya’s National Oil Company granted exploration permits to Turkey’s TPAO energy firm in disputed waters.
In a diplomatic push, Greece is engaging eastern Libyan factions, including House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh, who is expected to visit Athens. The Greek government aims to prevent the eastern faction, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, from endorsing the Turkey-Libya pact.
The European Union has backed Greece, with the June 26 European Council conclusions stating that the Turkey-Libya agreement lacks legal validity.