Libya’s maritime disputes with Greece and Malta return

The debate over Libya’s maritime borders with Greece and Malta has regained urgency after former National Oil Corporation chairman Mustafa Sanalla warned against delays in resolving long-standing disputes that risk affecting offshore exploration and Libya’s broader energy strategy in the Mediterranean.

According to The Libya Observer, on 18 June, Sanalla stressed that unresolved maritime boundaries create legal uncertainty that could force oil companies operating in contested waters to suspend activities until a final settlement is reached.

According to The Libya Observer, in March 2026, Libya’s Government of National Unity instructed the National Committee for Land and Maritime Border Demarcation to speed up negotiations with Greece and Malta. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah called for accelerating technical and legal work on maritime borders while reaffirming Libya’s commitment to protecting its sovereign rights under international law.

This renewed momentum is not limited to legal considerations but reflects Libya’s attempt to reposition itself geopolitically, using maritime negotiations to reinforce sovereignty claims and strengthen its role in regional energy dynamics.

The most politically sensitive dimension of Libya’s maritime disputes concerns Greece, particularly the area south of Crete, where overlapping Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claims remain unresolved.

Tensions are closely linked to the 2019 Libya–Turkey maritime memorandum, which Greece rejects as incompatible with international maritime law and as ignoring the rights of Greek islands such as Crete. The dispute has been further complicated by Greece’s hydrocarbon exploration plans in contested waters and Libya’s objections to what it considers unilateral actions affecting its maritime zones.

Despite these tensions, both sides have kept diplomatic channels open. According to The Libya Observer on September 2025 Libya and Greece have held technical talks in Athens on maritime delimitation, exclusive economic zones and broader cooperation issues, including migration and regional security.

These discussions reflect a gradual shift toward structured negotiations rather than unilateral escalation, although a comprehensive settlement remains distant.

Compared to Greece, Libya’s maritime relationship with Malta is less confrontational but still unresolved in key areas. Libya and Malta have engaged in discussions aimed at addressing overlapping maritime claims while also linking the issue to migration management and broader Mediterranean stability.

Libya’s maritime disputes with Greece and Malta cannot be separated from wider regional dynamics, including competing energy strategies, migration routes, and overlapping sovereignty claims in the Mediterranean basin.

At the same time, the fragmentation of Libya’s political landscape continues to complicate the country’s negotiating position, as rival centres of power influence foreign policy decisions and the management of strategic dossiers such as maritime delimitation.

With negotiations ongoing with both Greece and Malta, the central Mediterranean remains a space where energy, sovereignty and regional competition intersect. Whether these renewed efforts will lead to binding agreements remains uncertain, but what is clear is that maritime delimitation has become a central pillar of Libya’s attempt to redefine its role in the region.

Libya Observer, Maghrebi.org