Libya's Eastern Parliament Approves $100 Billion Turkish Sea Route

Libya’s parliament in the east voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a maritime agreement with Turkey, establishing a direct economic corridor between the two nations. The decision reverses a position held by the eastern government since 2019 and is expected to intensify economic and political friction in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly with Greece.

The corridor links Turkey’s southern coast with Libya’s northern coast. Recent discoveries indicate that large oil and gas deposits exist in this area. Estimates suggest that natural gas reserves worth several hundred billion US dollars may lie beneath the seabed. Ankara and Tripoli intend to secure their economic rights to these resources and develop them jointly.

The vote follows a shift in Libyan politics since the civil war of 2019. At that time, the rival government in the east opposed the deal initially agreed upon by the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the recent approval. Turkish firms have secured billions in reconstruction contracts in eastern Libya, and Turkey’s state oil company TPAO is collaborating with Libya’s National Oil Corporation on seismic surveys off the coast.

The planned route bypasses several Greek islands, including Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes. Athens maintains that it holds a comprehensive exclusive economic zone around these territories. Greece’s Foreign Ministry stated on social media that it firmly rejects the accord with the backing of the European Union. The EU has called the memorandum null and void, arguing that it violates the sovereign rights of third states and conflicts with the Law of the Sea.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, echoed this sentiment. She noted that she had raised the issue regarding the Libyan vote and stressed that it infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states. Greece relies on Article 121 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants inhabited islands the same economic zone rights as mainland territory. Athens cites a 2022 International Court of Justice ruling involving Colombia and Nicaragua, which required a fair demarcation of overlapping interests based on coastlines and geography.

Turkey argues that the specific geography of the Mediterranean deserves special consideration. Ankara contends that if every small Greek island near its coast received a full economic zone, Turkey would be largely cut off from the open sea. Turkey did not sign the convention and does not accept arbitration by a UN tribunal. Legal experts remain divided on what constitutes a fair division of resources in this region.

The agreement poses a direct threat to the planned EastMed pipeline. This project was designed to transport gas from Israel and Cyprus through Greece to support EU energy security. The new corridor intersects with the pipeline's intended route. Turkey has argued that it must consent to any cable or pipeline projects on its claimed continental shelf. The region may now split into two competing blocs: a Turkey-Libya axis and an EU-supported grouping of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel.