Maritime border demarcation agreement between Turkey and Libya sparks Eastern Mediterranean disputes

Turkey achieved a diplomatic breakthrough after the Libyan House of Representatives in eastern Libya ratified the 2019 maritime border demarcation memorandum, bolstering Ankara's ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean but sparking new regional disputes.

Turkey achieved a diplomatic breakthrough in the Eastern Mediterranean maritime border demarcation file, after the Libyan House of Representatives in eastern Libya ratified the memorandum of understanding signed by the Tripoli government in 2019. The memorandum stipulates the redrawing of exclusive economic zones between the two countries, granting them rights to exploit maritime resources, but the overlap of some areas covered by the agreement with maritime zones claimed by other countries raises concerns of escalating political and legal tensions in the region. The ratification comes after years of Libyan division between the Tripoli government and rival authorities in the east led by Khalifa Haftar. Turkey had militarily intervened in 2019 to support the Tripoli government, but later succeeded in building relations with various Libyan parties. Observers see this rapprochement as a diplomatic gain for Turkey, which has become able to strengthen its presence with both sides of the conflict. The ratification also reflects Haftar's camp's efforts to solidify its relations with Turkey, amid US and UN pressures to reunify Libya.