By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives unanimously approved the 2019 maritime jurisdiction memorandum with Türkiye in Benghazi on October 20, 2026, reversing its six-year-old rejection. Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın met Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli the same day.
Parliament spokesman Abdullah Bliheq said lawmakers annulled Resolution No. 1 of 2020, which rejected two memorandums signed with Türkiye, and Resolution No. 6, which called for severing political ties with Ankara. The parliamentary announcement did not describe an amended treaty or any new maritime boundary.
The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity's Foreign Ministry welcomed the vote. Presidential Council Vice Chairman Musa al-Koni supported the decision and urged direct contacts between the eastern parliament and Turkish officials.
Kalın meets Dbeibah in Tripoli
Libya's official news agency LANA said Kalın and Dbeibah discussed the country's political process, security and regional affairs. National Security Adviser Ibrahim Dbeibah and Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs Walid al-Lafi attended.
Their agenda also included coordination among Libya, Türkiye, Italy and Qatar on irregular migration. LANA's account did not mention the maritime memorandum.
The 2019 agreement was already in force
Türkiye and Libya's then Government of National Accord signed the maritime jurisdiction memorandum in Istanbul on November 27, 2019. The United Nations Treaty Collection lists December 8, 2019 as its entry-into-force date and December 11 as its registration date, under No. 56119.
The vote changes the eastern parliament's position, not the entry-into-force date recorded by the UN. That international record does not settle the former dispute over approval under Libya's domestic procedures. In December 2025, then parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh argued that the lack of Libyan parliamentary approval made the memorandum invalid.
On September 10, Ankara hosted leaders of Libya's rival political institutions, including Saleh and High Council of State Chairman Mohamed Takala. The talks concerned Libya's divided institutions and political process.
Greece and the dispute south of Crete
Greece rejects the 2019 memorandum, saying it disregards the maritime entitlements of Greek islands, including Crete. Türkiye maintains that the agreement complies with international law. The Benghazi vote leaves those competing claims unresolved.
A Libyan diplomatic note dated August 24 objected to Greek plans for seismic surveys south of Crete and in other maritime areas, warning that the dispute could disrupt boundary talks, according to reporting published in October. Greek diplomatic sources rejected the objections and said negotiations were continuing. Türkiye had earlier challenged Greece's Chevron-linked exploration plans south of Crete, citing the 2019 memorandum.
Greece and Egypt held consultations on Libya in Athens on October 15, reaffirming respect for international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. No Greek Foreign Ministry response specifically addressing the October 20 parliamentary vote was confirmed at the time of this review.
Sources: Libyan News Agency (LANA), Libyan House of Representatives, Libya Government of National Unity Foreign Ministry, United Nations Treaty Collection, Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, Bosphorus News review and reporting.