Egypt, Bahrain, and UAE Join Greece in Opposing Turkey-Libya Maritime Pact
Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE have aligned with Greece to condemn a Turkey-Libya maritime deal, citing threats to regional security and international law.
POLICY WIRE — Athens, Greece — Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have joined forces with Greece to formally denounce a maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya. The coalition characterizes the pact as a significant threat to regional stability and the established international legal order regarding sea borders in the eastern Mediterranean.
The controversy centers on a maritime boundaries deal originally established in 2019. Tensions escalated after Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives unanimously approved the agreement on October 20, effectively reversing their previous opposition and overturning a 2020 decision to sever political ties with Ankara.
This maritime corridor is designed to allow both Turkey and Libya to assert economic claims over potentially valuable oil and gas reserves located within the Mediterranean. The move has drawn sharp criticism from Greece and Cyprus, both of which argue the arrangement infringes upon their sovereign rights and violates international law.
The diplomatic friction highlights the deep divisions within Libya, which remains split between a western government based in Tripoli and an eastern administration in Benghazi. Alongside the EU, the six-party bloc consisting of Greece, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, and the UAE continues to warn that the deal undermines the broader security framework of the region.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
