Turkey on Friday strongly criticized the European Union’s stance on its maritime delimitation agreement with Libya, accusing Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC) of pushing “maximalist claims” that violate international law and equity in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The remarks followed an EU leaders’ summit last week, where the European Council stated that the 2019 Turkey-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.”
In a joint response, Turkey’s Ministry of Defense and Foreign Ministry rejected the EU’s characterization of the deal as “illegal,” attributing it to “unilateral political manipulations” by Greece and the GCASC.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli said on social media platform X that the memorandum is “entirely legitimate under international law” and emphasized Ankara’s commitment to defending its lawful rights and interests in the region.
He criticized the EU for issuing “politically motivated and biased” statements on a matter involving complex legal and technical issues.
“Instead of endorsing legally unfounded claims, the EU should call on all its members to comply with international law,” Keçeli said.
The agreement has also been defended by the government of eastern Libya based in Benghazi, led by Osama Hamad, who stated the deal is consistent with international law.
Turkey’s firm stance signals continued tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean maritime dispute, where competing claims between Ankara, Athens, and Nicosia remain a major source of regional friction.