By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Libya warned Greece that planned seismic surveys south of Crete could halt maritime boundary talks, according to an August 24 diplomatic note detailed by Greek newspaper Proto Thema on October 13.
Tripoli objected to surveys planned in waters the two countries have yet to delimit. The note cited Libya's continental shelf claims submitted to the United Nations on May 27, 2025, and warned that further activity could suspend negotiations despite progress in earlier rounds.
Greek diplomatic sources rejected the protest as baseless and said Athens had already replied. Greece applies a median line where no maritime boundary has been agreed, they said. Negotiations with Libya do not require Greece to suspend activities it considers lawful, the sources added.
On October 15, Greece and Egypt held their third round of political consultations on Libya in Athens. Their discussions covered the United Nations-led political process, elections, the unification of state institutions and irregular migration. The Greek Foreign Ministry also emphasized respect for international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). That language also appeared in the September 8 Al-Alamein declaration by Greece, Egypt and the Republic of Cyprus, which called for foreign forces, foreign fighters and mercenaries to leave Libya. The October 15 statement did not mention Libya's August protest or the 2019 Türkiye–Libya maritime agreement.
Libya's note also challenged a Greek tender for two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic data covering eight offshore areas, including waters south of Crete. That tender is separate from four exploration leases signed by Greece, Chevron and HELLENiQ ENERGY on February 16. Two blocks, South of Crete 1 and South of Crete 2, lie off the island's southern coast. The Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company (HEREMA) oversees the Greek licensing process.
The dispute also involves the 2019 Türkiye–Libya maritime delimitation memorandum. Ankara considers it valid. Athens rejects the agreement, arguing that it disregards the maritime rights Greece claims for islands including Crete. On February 19, Türkiye's Defense Ministry objected to Greek exploration plans south of Crete. The ministry said the plans did not directly affect Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction areas but infringed Libya's claimed maritime rights.
Libya's May 2025 submission to the United Nations included a map of its claimed continental shelf limits. The filing recorded Tripoli's position without establishing an agreed maritime boundary with Greece.
Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives elected Al Saleheen Abdulnabi as speaker on October 6, replacing Aguila Saleh. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya took note of the election two days later. The parliamentary status of the 2019 maritime agreement remains unresolved. In September, Türkiye hosted leaders of Libya's rival political institutions in Ankara.
Sources: Proto Thema, Greek Foreign Ministry, Republic of Cyprus Presidency, Chevron, HEREMA, Türkiye's Defense Ministry, United Nations, United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Bosphorus News review and reporting.