Tension amid Turkey, Libya hydrocarbon memorandum

Libya and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding for exploring hydrocarbons in Libyan territorial waters and territory on Monday, amid objections from Greece and France.

Libya’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Naila Magnus said that these are cooperation agreements in the interest of both countries and will help solve the world’s oil and gas crisis.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, in response to a question on the objections of Greece and France to the deal, said, “the agreements we signed in the past, the agreements we signed today, are agreements signed between two sovereign states, Libya and Turkey, with a win-win approach. Therefore, third countries do not have the right to interfere…What they think is not important.”

There was a strong reaction from the Greek Foreign Ministry, which said in a statement that “Greece has sovereign rights in the region, which it intends to defend by all legal means, with full respect for the International Law of the Sea.”

The signing of the new Libya-Turkey memorandum was also commented on by the EU, which noted that actions that could undermine regional stability should be avoided.

In addition, the EU adds that its position on the 2019 Turkey-Libya MoU on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean remains unchanged.

The EU statement concludes by noting that “the new agreement has not yet been made public. Further clarification on its content is needed. Actions that could undermine regional stability should be avoided.”

(Spiros Sideris | EURACTIV.gr)