Libya Parliament Approves $100 Billion Turkey Sea Link, Ignoring Greek Objections

Libya's parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a maritime agreement with Turkey, establishing a direct economic corridor between the two nations. The decision reverses the position of the eastern government, which had previously opposed the deal when it was first negotiated in 2019 with the UN-recognized western administration.

The corridor connects Turkey's southern coast to Libya's northern coast, an area where recent discoveries indicate substantial oil and gas deposits. Estimates suggest natural gas reserves worth several hundred billion US dollars lie beneath the seabed. Ankara and Tripoli intend to jointly exploit these resources to secure their economic rights.

Athens has firmly rejected the accord, stating that it violates the sovereign rights of third states. Greece's Foreign Ministry announced on X that the EU considers the memorandum null and void because it is inconsistent with the Law of the Sea. The dispute centers on Greek islands such as Crete, Rhodes, and Karpathos, which the agreement effectively bypasses.

Kaja Kallas, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, wrote on X that the vote infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states. She noted that she had raised the issue regarding the Libyan vote, aligning with the broader European position against the new boundaries.

Greece bases its claim on Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants inhabited islands the same exclusive economic zone rights as mainland territory. Athens cites a 2022 International Court of Justice ruling involving Colombia and Nicaragua to support the need for fair demarcation. Turkey, which has not signed the convention, argues that its geographic position requires special weight to prevent it from being cut off from the open sea.

The political shift in Libya stems from a Turkish charm offensive that has brought a rapprochement with General Khalifa Hifter's camp in the east. Turkish firms have won billions in reconstruction contracts, and the state oil company TPAO is collaborating with Libya's National Oil Corporation on seismic surveys. Turkey also supplies weapons and training to Hifter's forces, countering Egyptian and Russian influence in the region.

The new corridor intersects with the planned EastMed pipeline, which is designed to transport gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to the EU. Turkey has argued that any cable or pipeline projects on its claimed continental shelf require its consent. The development risks splitting the region into two distinct blocs: a Turkey-Libya axis and an EU-supported grouping of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel.