Greece seeks Egypt’s help to block Turkey-Libya maritime deal

It is expected that Greece will ask Egypt to intervene and dissuade the government in eastern Libya from signing a maritime agreement with Turkey.

According to the Qatar government-friendly The Middle East Eye, the Greek foreign minister, George Gerapetritis, is going to raise the issue with his Egyptian colleague, Badr Abdelatty.

The internationally recognised government of Libya in Tripoli had signed a maritime demarcation agreement with Turkey in 2019, which went against Greece’s claims to exclusive economic zones, which include Greek islands such as Crete and Rhodes.

The following year, Greece applied its maritime agreement with Egypt.

Now, if eastern Libya were to endorse Turkey’s position, it would represent a sea change in the eastern Mediterranean, which contains natural gas deposits, alongside showing the increasingly developing relationship of eastern Libya and Turkey.

A proposed maritime agreement could significantly bolster Turkey’s strategic positioning in the Mediterranean, potentially reshaping regional geopolitical dynamics.

The deal would align Libya’s various political factions with Turkey’s maritime claims, marking a critical diplomatic maneuver.

The potential agreement risks reigniting maritime tensions that nearly escalated into open conflict between Turkey and Greece in 2020.

Regional powers are already expressing deep concern, with Greece, Cyprus, and Israel viewing the proposed deal as a direct challenge to their strategic interests in the eastern Mediterranean.

If ratified by Haftar’s forces in eastern Libya, the agreement could have broader implications.

Experts suggest it might provide a precedent for Syria’s new government to negotiate a similar accord with Ankara, potentially including recognition of Northern Cyprus – a breakaway region currently recognised only by Turkey.

The proposed deal threatens to derail existing plans for joint gas field development and a proposed subsea electrical interconnector between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, projects that regional tensions have already stalled.

The Middle East Eye/Maghrebi.org