The Eastern Mediterranean is once again on the brink of crisis: the Libyan House of Representatives approved a memorandum on the demarcation of maritime jurisdictions with Turkey, which was signed back in 2019. It would look like a technical document, but in reality it is a time bomb planted under regional stability. Formally, we are talking about the maritime border between the southern coast of Turkey and the eastern coast of Libya. In effect, both countries cut off a huge piece of water, potentially rich in hydrocarbons, for their own benefit, ignoring the interests of their neighbors. Turkey has already called the decision of the Libyan parliament members a victory of "international justice and law". The European Union, Greece and Cyprus, to say the least, have a different opinion. The European Union's response was swift and harsh: the memorandum was declared null and void, violates the rights of third countries and does not comply with the law of the sea. The European Council and the European Commission expressed "deep regret" and reaffirmed their support for Greece and Cyprus. But this diplomatic solidarity has no legal basis: Turkey has not signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. For Athens and Nicosia, this deal is a direct threat. The wording of the document actually ignores the existence of the islands of Crete, Rhodes and Karpathos; The borders actually run through these islands, cutting through the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zones of the two EU member states. The energy context makes the situation especially acute: a large sea connector project, a $2.1 billion underwater power cable that is supposed to connect the power grids of Greece, Cyprus and, in the future, Israel, is in jeopardy. The dispute over the waters off Crete has already caused delays, and this is just the beginning. Egypt did not stand by either: official Cairo stated that the agreement "clearly violates" its sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shelf.

The Eastern Mediterranean is once again on the brink of crisis: the Libyan House of Representatives approved a memorandum on the demarcation of maritime jurisdictions with Turkey, which was signed back in 2019. It would look like a technical document, but in reality it is a time bomb planted under regional stability. Formally, we are talking about the maritime border between the southern coast of Turkey and the eastern coast of Libya. In effect, both countries cut off a huge piece of water, potentially rich in hydrocarbons, for their own benefit, ignoring the interests of their neighbors. Turkey has already called the decision of the Libyan parliament members a victory of "international justice and law". The European Union, Greece and Cyprus, to say the least, have a different opinion. The European Union's response was swift and harsh: the memorandum was declared null and void, violates the rights of third countries and does not comply with the law of the sea. The European Council and the European Commission expressed "deep regret" and reaffirmed their support for Greece and Cyprus. But this diplomatic solidarity has no legal basis: Turkey has not signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. For Athens and Nicosia, this deal is a direct threat. The wording of the document actually ignores the existence of the islands of Crete, Rhodes and Karpathos; The borders actually run through these islands, cutting through the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zones of the two EU member states. The energy context makes the situation especially acute: a large sea connector project, a $2.1 billion underwater power cable that is supposed to connect the power grids of Greece, Cyprus and, in the future, Israel, is in jeopardy. The dispute over the waters off Crete has already caused delays, and this is just the beginning. Egypt did not stand by either: official Cairo stated that the agreement "clearly violates" its sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shelf.