Greece and Egypt on Sunday condemned the natural gas deal Turkey and Libya signed last week on joint exploration of gas and hydrocarbon deposits in the Mediterranean as “illegal and illegitimate.”
“No government can grant to Turkey rights of exploration in areas where it does not exercise sovereign rights,” Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias declared during a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo. Dendias reasserted that the MoU violates Greece and Egypt’s exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the Mediterranean.
Extensive talks between 🇪🇬 and 🇬🇷 headed by foreign ministers of both countries now.Talks covered all aspects of bilateral relations & ways to enhance them, in addition to exchanging assessments & coordination on regional & international issues of common interest.
— Egypt MFA Spokesperson (@MfaEgypt) October 9, 2022
@GreeceMFA pic.twitter.com/1bXsB352BP
Furthermore, he noted that “the mandate of the Tripoli government has expired long ago” and “it does not represent the Libyan people,” referring to the end of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity’s (GNU) term in December last year, when it failed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. However, the GNU, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, continues to claim political legitimacy. The GNU was formed in 2020 and tasked by the United Nations with preventing a civil war and leading Libya towards elections.
In this respect, Dendias remarked that the GNU “does not have any competence to review or implement previous agreements regarding the future of Libya’s external relations. Οr commit the country’s future.” He also accused Ankara of “blackmailing” the GNU to enter into an agreement granting Turkey exploration rights in the Mediterranean.
Turkey, by blackmailing, and applying pressure on Libyan actors has tried to establish a legal monstrosity, the 2019 "memorandum". This so-called "memorandum" was internationally denounced as illegal, invalid and non-existent (statement following mtg with 🇪🇬MFA S. Shoukry). pic.twitter.com/05rsGlQuLb
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) October 9, 2022
He claimed that Turkey’s actions “would further destabilise the Mediterranean region” and establish a “regional hegemony.” “No one can build new facts on the basis of illegal and illegitimate actions. No one can ignore geography, no one can create a virtual world,” Dendias emphasised.
Dendias also warned that Greece and Egypt would defend their rights in the Mediterranean “with all available lawful means.” He said, “We do not claim anything that does not belong to us. We fully respect the principles of international law. We do not take aggressive actions; we do not undermine peace and stability.”
Greece and Egypt share a common objective: help Libya become a functioning state and also make the Mediterranean a peaceful and stable sea (statement with 🇪🇬 MFA Sameh Shoukry). pic.twitter.com/kASJirJLtR
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) October 9, 2022
Last Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu inked an MoU in energy cooperation with his GNU counterpart Najla Mangoush in Tripoli. The agreement allows Ankara to explore hydrocarbon and natural gas deposits between the two countries. Athens and Cairo immediately condemned the MoU, saying it would violate their EEZs and escalate regional tensions.
Turkey and Egypt supported rival groups in the 2014 Libyan civil war to secure their respective energy interests. The Turkish-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) successfully pushed back the Egypt-backed Libyan National Army (LNA), led by warlord Khalifa Haftar. The GNA’s victory allowed Turkey to sign a gas deal with the Libyan government in 2019 to establish an EEZ from Libya to Turkey. The deal angered Greece, which retaliated by signing an agreement with Egypt to establish an energy corridor overlapping the Turkey-Libya EEZ.
This article is important to read while watching the new developments in the eastern #Mediterranean
— Dalia Ziada - داليا زيادة (@daliaziada) October 9, 2022
📌Stronger Turkey Challenging Status Quo in Mediterraneanhttps://t.co/aVu8zaBwfP #Turkiye #Egypt #Greece #Libya
Tensions between Ankara and Athens have escalated recently. Last month, Turkey for the first time accused Greece of occupying the demilitarised Aegean islands and released footage showing Greek military activity in the islands. This came just a month after Greece condemned the arrival of a Turkish drill ship in the Mediterranean for the first time in more than two years, saying that Turkey’s mission violates Greece’s EEZ.