Turkey-Libya maritime boundaries deal 'remains null and void,' Greek foreign minister says

Greece's foreign minister has strongly condemned the ratification of the so-called Turkish-Libyan memorandum stipulating a maritime boundaries deal. George Gerapetritis said that the 2019 maritime boundaries deal remained, quote, null and void. The recent decision of the Libyan House of Representatives to approve the so-called 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum of understanding or the limitation of maritime jurisdiction in the Mediterranean Sea, raises serious concerns for regional security and stability. It also highlights a broader challenge to the international legal order, ensuring that arbitrary bilateral arrangements do not undermine established rules of international law or prejudice the rights of other states. The memorandum remains null and void, contrary to international law, and cannot serve as a lawful basis for maritime delimitation or produce legal consequences for third states. The EU also called for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and respect for its member states' sovereign rights. The EU has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the eastern Mediterranean and urges all countries to respect the sovereign rights of all member states in accordance with EU and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ankara maintains that the EU's reactions to the ratification of the so-called Turkish-Libyan memorandum lack a legal basis. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara does not wish to gain at anyone's expense, urging regional blocs to respect the will of Turkey and Libya.