By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
On October 20, 2026, Greece's Foreign Ministry rejected a vote by Libya's eastern parliament in Benghazi to approve the 2019 maritime pact with Türkiye. Ankara welcomed the decision, saying the agreement had been in force since 2019.
Athens argued that Türkiye and Libya have no opposite or adjacent coastlines on which to base the boundary. Greece has long maintained that the pact disregards the maritime rights of its islands, including Crete. The ministry urged Libya to avoid further steps it considers contrary to international law.
Greece said it had informed partners and allies and would defend its sovereign rights, but announced no specific action.
The Republic of Cyprus also condemned the decision on October 20. Its Foreign Ministry said the pact infringes the sovereign rights of third states and disregards islands' rights to an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and customary international law. It maintained that the agreement has no legal effect against third states.
Ankara defends the 2019 pact
In statement No. 202, issued on October 20, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry said the agreement is based on international law and principles of equity and protects both countries' interests.
Libya's House of Representatives had reversed two resolutions adopted in 2020. One rejected ratification of two memorandums signed with Türkiye; the other called for severing political relations with Ankara. The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity's Foreign Ministry welcomed the reversal.
Türkiye and Libya's then Government of National Accord signed the maritime pact in Istanbul on November 27, 2019. The United Nations Treaty Collection records December 8, 2019 as its entry-into-force date. Tuesday's vote changes the eastern legislature's position without resolving Greece's maritime objections.
Crete and Libya's maritime talks
Crete is central to Greece's objection to the 2019 maritime line. Athens held technical delimitation talks with officials in Tripoli in June and maintained separate contacts with eastern Libya, whose officials did not participate in those talks, according to a Greek Foreign Ministry briefing. Its October 20 statement did not announce a suspension of those contacts.
Greece, Egypt and the Republic of Cyprus had reiterated their maritime-law position in the September 8 El Alamein declaration. They called for maritime boundaries to comply with international law, including UNCLOS, without naming Türkiye or the 2019 memorandum.
Sources: Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Libyan News Agency (LANA), United Nations Treaty Collection, Reuters, Bosphorus News review and reporting.