Libya rejects Greece’s call to cancel 2019 maritime memorandum

(MENAFN) Libya’s parliament has strongly criticized Greece’s push to annul the 2019 memorandum of understanding signed between Tripoli and Ankara on maritime boundary delimitation, labeling the move “a clear violation of national sovereignty.”

The remarks came after Greek Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis, during a meeting in Athens with Libyan counterpart Aguila Saleh, asserted that the Türkiye–Libya maritime agreement should be rescinded.

“We followed with astonishment and disapproval the repeated statements made by Greek officials, the latest of which were attributed to the Speaker of the Greek Parliament that contained explicit calls to interfere in Libya’s internal affairs,” said Misbah Ouhida, the second deputy speaker of the Libyan parliament, in a statement.

Ouhida described the Greek speaker’s comments as “a clear violation of national sovereignty” and emphasized his commitment to “the principles of good neighborliness and bilateral relations based on mutual respect.”

He stressed that “Libya is a fully sovereign state and alone knows its supreme interests and how to protect them,” rejecting “any form of interference in Libya’s sovereign decisions or any attempt by an external party to impose political directives on it.”

The 2019 agreement between Libya and Türkiye outlines the delimitation of maritime boundaries between the two countries, a pact that Greece claims infringes on its exclusive economic zone.

Regarding the deal with Türkiye, Ouhida noted that agreements entered into by Libya “are sovereign decisions governed by international laws and norms, and no country has the right to dictate Libya whether to ratify, abandon, or cancel them.”

He called on Greece to “exercise restraint, respect Libya’s sovereignty, and stop attempts to interfere in Libya’s internal affairs.”

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