Parliament approves $100 billion maritime link with Turkey

A new economic corridor between Turkey and Libya is now official.

On Tuesday, the Libyan parliament voted unanimously to approve a maritime agreement with its neighbor. The decision creates a direct link between the two nations. It is expected to intensify existing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. The move places the two countries on a collision course with Greece.

The corridor connects Turkey's southern coast with Libya's northern shore. Recent surveys have found significant oil and gas deposits in the area between them. Estimates suggest the natural gas reserves could be worth hundreds of billions of US dollars. Ankara and Tripoli aim to secure their rights to these resources. They plan to exploit the deposits jointly.

The political landscape in Libya has changed significantly since 2019. At that time, a civil war was raging. Turkey intervened militarily to support the government in Tripoli. They helped repel an offensive by General Khalifa Hifter, who controls the east. The eastern government initially opposed the maritime deal. However, the eastern parliament has now reversed that position. A Turkish charm offensive has led to a rapprochement with Hifter's camp. Turkish firms have won reconstruction contracts worth billions. The Turkish state oil company is also working with Libya's National Oil Corporation on seismic surveys.

Greece has voiced strong opposition to the new corridor. The agreement ignores major Greek islands, including Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes. Athens claims a comprehensive exclusive economic zone around these territories. The Greek Foreign Ministry stated on X that it firmly rejects the accord. It said it has the backing of the European Union. The EU called the memorandum null and void. It argued the deal violates the sovereign rights of third states and contradicts the Law of the Sea.

Kaja Kallas, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, echoed this sentiment. She noted that she had raised the issue of the Libyan vote. She stressed that the move infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states. The core of the dispute lies in which legal claims are legitimate. Greece relies on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Article 121 of the convention gives inhabited islands the same economic rights as mainland territory. Athens cites a 2022 ruling by the International Court of Justice that supports fair demarcation of overlapping interests.

Turkey argues that Mediterranean geography requires special consideration. It claims that if every small Greek island received a full exclusive economic zone, Turkey would be cut off from the open sea. Ankara has not signed the UN convention. Therefore, it does not accept arbitration by a UN tribunal. Legal experts remain divided on what constitutes a fair division of the sea. The new corridor also threatens the planned EastMed pipeline. This project was designed to carry gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to the EU. The new corridor cuts across that route. Turkey has argued that it needs to consent to such projects on its claimed continental shelf.

The long-term outcome could see the region split into two distinct blocs. One would be a Turkey-Libya axis. The other would be a grouping supported by the EU, including Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel. The situation remains volatile as both sides assert their economic and territorial rights.