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The long-running dispute over control of the Eastern Mediterranean threatens to escalate into a new confrontation between Greece and Turkey, also involving Israel and Egypt. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to raise the issue of the existing controversial maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya at an EU summit on Friday. This agreement, first signed in 2019, grants Ankara and Tripoli conflicting rights to waters that Greece considers part of its own maritime zone. Athens says the deal violates international law-a position supported by Egypt and Israel, which have publicly condemned the treaty.
Turkey rejects these accusations. So the situation is complex, and with energy projects and strategic infrastructure at stake, the dispute could have wide international implications. Yannis Tsomitis, an analyst on European affairs, will tell us more about this. Thank you for joining us. Why is this seven-year-old maritime agreement becoming such an important issue again right now? Because a few weeks ago, the National Assembly of Libya, or more precisely of Eastern Libya, which is a separate entity within the Libyan state, ratified the agreement seven years after it was signed by the leader of the then Eastern Libyan structure and the Turkish side.
Thus, it became a bilateral agreement between Libya and Turkey. Greece is concerned that both countries will try to use this illegal maritime agreement to conduct oil and hydrocarbon exploration in areas where Greece plans its own exploration next year, along with Exxon Mobil and other European and American companies. This is of great concern to Greece, as well as to Egypt, as it also violates Egyptian maritime zones. As a result of this ratification by the Libyan National Assembly, Egypt and Greece are resuming negotiations on the delimitation of maritime zones between the two countries. We have seen significant activity over the last three to four weeks, and Greece wants European Union leaders to support its efforts to invalidate this agreement
It is worth noting that the day after the ratification of this maritime agreement by the Libyan National Assembly, European states and the EU leadership in Brussels issued a statement condemning this ratification and siding with Greece on this issue. Well, there are many countries involved and many moving parts. Thank you for laying everything out for us. Israel and Egypt. You mentioned Egypt. They both joined Greece in opposing this agreement. What is at stake for Israel, and could this dispute really escalate into a broader regional confrontation with Turkey? Israel has completely legitimate rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, and also seeks to ensure that international law is fairly upheld.
We could imagine a regime, say, in Syria, making a similar deal with Libya, trying to demarcate Israel's rights, its maritime rights. It is also possible that the future government of Lebanon will do the same with Egypt. It would be crazy in the Eastern Mediterranean to have all these illegal agreements trying to override the legitimate maritime rights of nation states. So it is quite understandable that Israel considers its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean to be violated, and therefore it also supports Greece on this issue. Yes. So we are seeing a diplomatic escalation, a diplomatic intensification, so to speak. How seriously should we take the possibility of some kind of clash between Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, whether at the
negotiating table or otherwise? Well, a few weeks ago, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Athens, and he made it clear that the US would try to avoid a confrontation between Greece and Turkey over maritime issues in the Eastern Mediterranean. But we don't know if Turkey wants to send exploration or drilling vessels to the areas affected by this illegal maritime deal We should know that the Libyan state, as well as the western Libyan government in Tripoli, will seek to extract oil in the central Mediterranean, and may even enter into an agreement with the Turkish state oil company to conduct drilling in the areas of this maritime agreement. So Greece will not tolerate such actions On the other hand, when
Greece invites Exxon Mobil and Chevron to its demarcation zones next year, we may see a reaction from Turkey, which will declare that these areas belong to its own maritime agreement with Libya. This is a very delicate situation and a very sensitive issue that should be resolved diplomatically, not by force. You mentioned Turkey again. Aside from the maritime dispute itself, what does Turkey ultimately want from this deal and from its relationship with Libya? Is it primarily about energy resources and strategic access, or is it part of a broader attempt to expand Turkish influence
in North Africa and, of course, the Mediterranean? We have seen how Turkey has used its support for the Western Libyan regime in recent years. It wants to create, say, a puppet state in Libya and exploit its resources, both on land and at sea, and is also trying to realize its ambitions of a so-called " Blue Homeland," which extends far beyond what is legally recognized as maritime zones under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. So, it is not only about using the energy resources of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean.
This is a projection of power and influence across the entire region. Well, Yannis Kouzomitris, thank you very much for coming today.
