Greece Rejects Libyan Approval of Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal: Foreign Ministry Says Memorandum Has No Legal Effect
Greece on October 20 rejected a decision by Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives to approve the 2019 maritime boundary agreement between Turkey and Libya, saying the deal was without legal effect. In a foreign ministry statement issued in Athens, Greece said the memorandum violated international law of the sea and infringed on the sovereign rights of states in the region, arguing that Turkey and Libya do not have opposite or adjacent coasts that would justify such a maritime delimitation.
Greece called on Libya to refrain from actions that undermine stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and said it had informed partners and allies and would take all appropriate measures to safeguard its sovereign rights.
The 2019 memorandum was signed by Turkey and Libya's Government of National Accord and purported to delimit the two sides' maritime jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean. Athens has not recognised the memorandum since it was signed, and the foreign ministry statement was Greece's formal response to the eastern parliament's approval this week. (GSM, from Reuters reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Crete 以南的 Gavdos 岛海岸，Artemis Katsadoura 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
