Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives approved a maritime pact with Turkey on Oct. 20, reversing its 2020 opposition to an agreement that Greece continues to challenge.
The chamber said lawmakers voted unanimously in Benghazi after hearing from a national committee on land and maritime borders. They also repealed two resolutions from 2020: one opposed ratification of two memorandums with Turkey, and the other severed political relations. The House specified approval of the maritime memorandum only.
The vote changes the chamber’s position on an existing agreement. Turkey and the Government of National Accord, then based in Tripoli, concluded the pact in Istanbul on Nov. 27, 2019. The United Nations Treaty Collection records its entry into force on Dec. 8, 2019, and its registration three days later.
The memorandum defines a boundary for the parties’ continental shelves and exclusive economic zones, which concern rights to offshore resources. It calls for diplomatic talks over disputes and allows cooperation if resources extend across the two zones.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the vote and said the agreement protects both countries’ interests. Greece’s Foreign Ministry rejected the pact, arguing that it disregards Greek islands’ maritime rights and infringes the sovereign rights of other states in the region. The ministries maintain opposing positions on its legal standing; the UN record lists treaty dates but does not address Greece’s objection.
The agreement was signed by Libya’s Tripoli-based government while rival institutions operated in the east. The eastern House subsequently rejected ratification before withdrawing that objection on Oct. 20.
The House said its next sitting is scheduled for Nov. 2 in Sabha. It announced no further maritime decision for that session.
