Cairo in talks with Tripoli over Turkish maritime boundary deal, Egyptian FM says

Egypt and Libya have agreed to hold talks over Libya's 2019 maritime memorandum of understanding with Turkey, which was approved by the eastern Libyan parliament last month. Egyptian FM spokesman Nader Zaki said the deal affects Egypt's maritime borders and is not binding on other countries. The agreement poses risks to Israeli underwater infrastructure projects, including a planned electricity grid connection to Cyprus and Greece.

Egypt and Libya have agreed to hold talks following Egypt's concerns over Libya's maritime memorandum of understanding with Turkey, a deal that could threaten Israel's ability to develop underwater infrastructure connections and pose broader maritime security challenges, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Nader Zaki told Egypt's Alghad TV on Monday. The agreement, signed in 2019 by the Tripoli-based, internationally recognized Libyan government, was approved by the eastern Libyan parliament, the House of Representatives, last month, drawing criticism from Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, and Israel. The interview came two days after Egypt reopened its embassy building in Tripoli, which had been closed for more than 12 years, during a visit by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Abdelatty's visit also included discussions on trade and energy cooperation, including gas pipeline links and electricity interconnection. Zaki said Egypt had stressed that the agreement was not binding on other countries and affected Egyptian maritime borders. Turkey maintains a significant naval presence in the Mediterranean and has asserted its maritime claims under the Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland) doctrine, which challenges UNCLOS boundaries. Colonel (res.) Eran Lerman of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security warned that the agreement poses a major risk for Israeli interests, particularly regarding Israel's project to connect its electricity grid to Cyprus and Greece.