The online portal ‘Al-Wasat’, reported last Thursday that ‘the Greek initiative comes at a time when Athens is monitoring developments in eastern Libya, where Turkey has recently sought to mend its relations with Marshal Khalifa Haftar.’ Greek officials confirmed that ‘their strategy towards Libya remains independent,’ emphasizing the importance of keeping channels open with both Tripoli and Benghazi.
The site suggested that Libyan delegations from the east and west of the country are expected to arrive in Athens in the coming weeks, and that preparations for the first technical committee meeting on maritime borders between the two countries are progressing rapidly. The last round of negotiations between Greece and Libya was held in 2010.
It is noted that Libya officially filed a diplomatic protest with the United Nations regarding Greece’s claims to the maritime borders south and west of the island of Crete. Libya submitted to the United Nations on June 20, the first time Tripoli has officially claimed areas in the eastern Mediterranean that Greece had previously allocated for offshore hydrocarbon exploration.
The core of the dispute lies in the controversial 2019 maritime memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and Libya, which Athens rejected on the grounds that it is ‘legally invalid under international maritime law.’ The newspaper explained that Tripoli accuses Athens of ‘creating de facto situations that harm,’ describing the Greek licensing process as ‘illegal and unilateral without legal basis or bilateral agreement.’
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Libyan Government of National Unity expressed its deep concern over Athens’ decision to open licenses for hydrocarbon exploration near the island of Crete, in areas that Libya describes as ‘disputed.’
