EU calls Libyan parliament's ratification of Türkiye maritime deal "null and void," sides with Greece and Cyprus

EUROPE

European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a joint statement on the night of the 20th (local time) saying that the Türkiye-Libya memorandum of understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas, ratified by the Libyan parliament that day, is "null and void." In a statement on behalf of the EU the next day, the EU High Representative also stated firmly that the memorandum "cannot produce any legal consequences for third States." The foreign ministry of Türkiye, a party to the memorandum, welcomed the decision of the Libyan House of Representatives, while the Greek foreign ministry said it rejected the decision. The joint statement reaffirmed solidarity with Greece and Cyprus, and the High Representative's statement called for respect for the sovereign rights of all member states.

Two EU leaders declare deal "null and void" on night of ratification

The joint statement was posted on the Council of the EU website at 9:30 p.m. Brussels time on the 20th. The five-sentence statement begins, "We deeply regret the ratification today by the Libyan Parliament of the so-called Libyan-Türkiye Memorandum of Understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea."

The two stressed that the EU's position on the matter was clearly set out by the European Council in 2019 and remains unchanged. They went on to state, "This agreement infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states, it does not comply with the Law of the Sea, and is null and void."

The statement said, "We reaffirm our solidarity with Greece and Cyprus." In its final sentence, it repeated the EU's longstanding position of opposing any external interference in Libya. The statement contained no sentence directly naming and criticizing the Turkish government.

High Representative cites 2019 and 2025 summit conclusions the next day

The statement by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy was issued at 6:54 p.m. (Brussels time) on the 21st as document number 842/26. The statement took the form of one issued by the High Representative "on behalf of the EU." The statement said the EU "strongly regrets" the ratification by Libya's House of Representatives on Oct. 20, 2026, of the 2019 Türkiye-Libya memorandum.

The High Representative said the EU's position on the memorandum is firm and clear. Citing the conclusions of the December 2019 European Council and their reaffirmation in June 2025, the statement said the memorandum infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states and does not comply with the Law of the Sea. It added, "It is null and void and cannot produce any legal consequences for third States."

The final sentence addressed the Eastern Mediterranean as a whole. The High Representative said the EU has a "strategic interest" in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean. The statement called on all countries to respect the sovereign rights of all member states in accordance with EU law and international law, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

EU conclusions have rejected the memorandum in the same language since 2019

Paragraph 19 of the Dec. 12, 2019, European Council conclusions (EUCO 29/19), cited by the EU, states that the Türkiye-Libya memorandum infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states, does not comply with the Law of the Sea and cannot produce any legal consequences for third states. The same paragraph reaffirmed the conclusions of that October regarding Türkiye's illegal drilling in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In that paragraph, the European Council said it unequivocally reaffirms its solidarity with Greece and Cyprus regarding these actions by Türkiye.

Paragraph 52 of the June 26, 2025, European Council conclusions (EUCO 12/25) repeated the same language. The paragraph also addressed the "worrying situation" in Libya and its possible consequences for European security and migration flows. According to a transcript released by the Greek prime minister's office, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a news conference the next day that "the old wording characterizing the Turkish-Libyan memorandum as unfounded and illegal has been reinstated." He stressed, "we do not accept, not as Greece, not as Europe, any such fait accompli." At the same news conference, Mitsotakis spoke of migration via "this new route that seems to be opening up between eastern Libya and Crete."

Turkish foreign ministry welcomes decision, says deal "in force since 2019"

The Turkish foreign ministry issued press release No. 202 on the 20th. The ministry said it welcomed the decision adopted today (Oct. 20) by Libya's House of Representatives, saying the memorandum is one "which has been in force since 2019."

The ministry claimed the memorandum protects the mutual rights and interests of the two countries on the basis of international law and the principle of equity and deepens cooperation between Türkiye and Libya. Türkiye said that, in line with its commitment to international law, it will continue to work with all partners for trust, stability and peace in the Mediterranean basin. The press release made no mention of the EU statements or Greece.

Türkiye's reasoning has been the same since 2019. Hami Aksoy, then the foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a response on Dec. 1, 2019 (QA-73) that the agreement with Libya determined part of the western boundary of Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction areas in the Eastern Mediterranean. Aksoy argued that islands cannot cut off the coastal projection of Türkiye, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean. Türkiye's reasoning is that islands lying on the wrong side of the median line between two mainlands cannot generate maritime jurisdiction areas beyond their territorial waters, and that the length and direction of coastlines must be taken into account in delimitation. He also countered that Greece's claim would give Kastellorizo, a small island just off the Turkish mainland, a maritime jurisdiction area 4,000 times its own size. Aksoy also said Egypt had lost 40,000 square kilometers because of the "Maximalist and uncompromising" claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriots. He said Türkiye had repeatedly proposed negotiations to all parties for an equity-based agreement before signing the memorandum and remains ready to negotiate. Aksoy claimed the two countries had made clear through the agreement their determination not to allow any fait accompli.

A 2020 publication by the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications claimed the memorandum blocked possible Greece-Egypt and Greece-Cyprus agreements that would have reduced Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction area from 186,000 square kilometers to 41,000 square kilometers. The publication described Meis island as covering 12 square kilometers and lying 2 kilometers from the Turkish mainland.

Greece counters that geography and the law of the sea cannot be changed by a parliamentary decision

In an announcement on the 20th, the Greek foreign ministry said Greece rejects the decision of the Libyan House of Representatives approving the so-called 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum. The ministry said the decision does not change the fact that the memorandum is "illegal, null and void." The ministry stressed, "Geography and international law of the sea cannot be altered by unilateral, legally unfounded parliamentary decisions."

Greece also restated its legal arguments. The ministry said Türkiye and Libya do not have opposite or adjacent coasts that would provide a lawful basis for delimiting maritime zones between them. It also said the memorandum ignores the Greek islands and the maritime zone entitlements of islands under UNCLOS and customary international law. The ministry stressed that Greece has already concluded maritime boundary agreements with Egypt and Italy in accordance with the international law of the sea, respecting the sovereign rights of its neighbors.

The last two sentences of the announcement signaled a response. The ministry urged the Libyan side to refrain from actions that contravene international law and undermine stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. It went on to say that Greece has already informed its partners and allies and "will take all appropriate action to safeguard its sovereign rights."

Greece points out the 2019 memorandum's equidistance line crosses Crete

Map 13, released by the Greek foreign ministry, gives the date of the memorandum in its legend as Nov. 27, 2019. According to the map's explanation, Annex 2 of the memorandum sets 18 base points each on the Turkish coast and the Libyan coast. The Greek foreign ministry explained that the equidistance line drawn from those points passes over the territory of Crete. The same map also shows the line of the Greece-Egypt EEZ delimitation agreement concluded on Aug. 6, 2020, and blocks awarded to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO). According to the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications publication, a delegation led by Fayez al-Sarraj, then chairman of Libya's Presidential Council, visited Türkiye on Nov. 26-28, 2019. The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye ratified the maritime jurisdiction memorandum on Dec. 5, 2019, and the security cooperation memorandum on the 21st of the same month.

The memorandum later led to resource development. Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) and Türkiye signed a memorandum of understanding in the hydrocarbons sector in Tripoli on Oct. 3, 2022. In a statement that day, the Greek foreign ministry said the 2019 memorandum is illegal, null and void and nonexistent, and that no one has the right to invoke it. Greece warned that it would respond bilaterally and at the EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) levels to any act implementing the memorandum. In the same statement, the Greek foreign ministry said that in the absence of a bilateral agreement the continental shelf is determined by the median line, and that Greece has inherent rights to its continental shelf from the outset under UNCLOS. The Greek foreign ministry's page on relations with Libya points out that the GNU signed the hydrocarbons memorandum after its mandate had expired and describes the 2019 memorandum as a potential threat to regional stability and peace. In a press release the next day, the Cypriot foreign ministry also said the 2019 "memorandum" infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states and is therefore illegal, null and void and produces no legal consequences for third states.