Europeupdated 34m ago2 min read
Turkey Offers Egypt Maritime Border Deal, After Libya Pact Angers Cairo
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Libyan eastern parliament ratified the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime boundary on October 20, 2026. Turkey offers to sign Egypt maritime border agreement, expanding EEZ by about 15,000 square kilometers.
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“Ankara must be celebrating a major triumph”
“Egypt’s categorical rejection of the 2019 memorandum of understanding (MoU)”
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Turkey offers Egypt more sea
Turkish Defense Minister Yişar Güler announced his country’s readiness to sign an agreement with Egypt on the delimitation of maritime borders and exclusive economic zones in the eastern Mediterranean, shortly after Ankara reached a similar agreement with Libya that angered Cairo. Güler pointed out that the Turkish proposal would grant Cairo an additional area of about 15,000 square kilometers within its marine jurisdiction compared with any agreement it might sign with Greece.
Cairo expressed strong condemnation of the Turkish-Libyan pact, calling it a flagrant violation of sovereign rights, and the Libyan House of Representatives’ approval in eastern Libya last Tuesday of the memorandum signed with Ankara since 2019 revived the diplomatic debate on this file. The dispute drew criticism from the European Union and Cairo’s discontent, with Greece, Cyprus, and Israel also opposing it, as the overlapping exclusive economic zones in the eastern Mediterranean contain large quantities of oil and gas.
Egypt rejects, Turkey negotiates
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry described the memorandum of understanding as “invalid and absolutely void” in a statement issued on October 21, and Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty reiterated on Friday during his meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Istanbul that the agreement has “no legal effect.” Fidan told reporters that “We have reached a stage where the conditions are ripe to permanently consolidate the reunification of the east and the west,” and he also said Turkey is ready to sign an agreement with Egypt regarding the delineation of maritime zones under its jurisdiction.
Reuters said Ankara is discussing with Egypt the delineation of the maritime borders agreement it signed with Libya, after Parliament’s ratification of the accord by eastern Libya this week drew sharp criticism from Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also emphasized that ratification by the Libyan House of Representatives has no legal consequences for Egypt, while the Libyan House of Representatives voted on Tuesday in favor of adopting the memorandum of understanding signed between the GNA and Turkey concerning maritime borders.
Europe, Greece, and the stakes
The European Union renewed its rejection of the agreement on October 21, deeming it affects third-country sovereign rights and contravenes the Law of the Sea, and it said it cannot produce legal effects on those countries. Greece and Egypt moved to extend maritime boundaries towards Cyprus, after eastern Libya’s parliament approved the 2019 maritime memorandum between Turkey and Libya, a development that could reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis confirmed on 22 October that Athens and Cairo were discussing a possible extension of their existing Exclusive Economic Zone agreement signed in August 2020, and he said any extension would comply fully with international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Turkey maintains that its maritime arrangement with Libya protects the legitimate interests of both countries, while Greek authorities argue that the proposed boundary disregards the maritime entitlements of Crete and other Greek islands, leaving negotiations unresolved even as opposition to the Turkey-Libya memorandum continues.