Libya and Egypt should initiate dialogue and negotiations to resolve differences between the two countries over the demarcation of maritime borders, diplomatic sources cited on Sunday.
The Turkish sources' remarks came after Libya on Friday rejected a Dec. 11 decision by Egypt to unilaterally demarcate its western maritime borders with neighboring Libya with nine geographic coordinates.
Stressing that the boundary line was not agreed upon through bilateral negotiations between Libya and Egypt, the sources said Türkiye favors dialogue and negotiations between Egypt and Libya as soon as possible for the delimitation of their boundary in line with international law and the application of all peaceful means as stipulated in Article 33 of the U.N. Charter, including the International Court of Justice, by mutual consent.
The sources said that Egypt's decision does not overlap with Türkiye's continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean.
It is not clear which method was used for the delimitation of this boundary or whether special or relevant geographical circumstances were taken into account besides the doubts over the principle of equity, they added.
The sources also said that the declared boundary seems to violate Libya's continental shelf rights, as it was drawn west of the median line between the mainland coasts of those two countries.
"In fact, the Libyan side made a statement on Dec. 16, 2022, to the effect that their rights were violated by Egypt's presidential decree," they added.
"This demarcation is unjust because it was unilaterally announced, it violates Libya's territorial integrity and principles of good faith and respect for sovereignty," the Libyan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The delimitation of borders between the two countries must take place by mutual agreement through negotiations that guarantee the interests of both parties and respect the principle of equality," it added.
In November 2019, Türkiye and Libya signed a maritime delimitation deal that provided a legal framework to prevent any fait accompli by regional states. Accordingly, attempts by the Greek government to appropriate huge parts of Libya's continental shelf, when a political crisis hit the North African country in 2011, were averted.
The agreement also confirmed that Türkiye and Libya are maritime neighbors. The delimitation starts from Fethiye, Marmaris and Kaş on Türkiye’s southwestern coast and extends to the Derna-Tobruk-Bordia coastline of Libya.
In response, Egypt and Greece signed an agreement in August 2020, designating an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Türkiye had questioned the legitimacy of the Egypt-Greece agreement, vowing to keep the country's earlier-signed maritime pact with the Tripoli government in place.
Later in 2021, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu informed that Türkiye may negotiate a maritime demarcation agreement with Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean, depending on the status of bilateral ties.
Most recently, Türkiye and Libya rebuked Greek criticism of their agreements on the delimitation of hydrocarbon and maritime jurisdiction areas, urging Athens to cease its baseless accusations, hostile rhetoric and escalatory actions, and instead respect the sovereign decisions of the two countries in a letter jointly sent to the United Nations.
Türkiye and Libya's permanent representatives to the U.N., Feridun Sinirlioğlu and Taher el-Sonni, respectively, argued in the joint letter that the memorandum of understanding signed on Oct. 3, 2022, between the Government of National Unity in Libya and the Republic of Türkiye on cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons is "a legal instrument based on the principle of sovereign equality" and it "envisages the development of bilateral cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, both on land and at sea. Therefore, it is in full observance of principles of international law concerning friendly relations and cooperation among states."
In recent years, Türkiye, already at odds with Greece over several issues, including competing claims to jurisdiction, energy exploration and maritime boundaries in the Aegean, has seen deteriorating relations with its fellow NATO member owing to its increasing cooperation with Libya, wherein Ankara has been a significant supporter of the Tripoli administration.