Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the signing of a “Memorandum of Understanding” on hydrocarbons between the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Libya and Turkey

Greece is closely following developments in Libya, particularly today’s signing of a “Memorandum of Understanding” on hydrocarbons between the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Libya and Turkey.

Greece has sovereign rights in the area, which it intends to defend using all legal means, with full respect for the International Law of the Sea.

It is recalled that Greece has proceeded to a delimitation of its EEZ with Egypt, an agreement that has been concluded in accordance with the International Law of the Sea.

Simultaneously, Greece retains, as is explicitly stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the right ipso facto et ad initio to a continental shelf, which, in the absence of a bilateral agreement, is defined by the median line.

Lastly, it is noted that the Turkish-Libyan “memorandum” of 2019 is illegal, invalid and non-existent. Therefore, no one has any right to invoke it.

Any reference or action taken in implementation of the said “memorandum” will be de facto illegal and, depending on its gravity, there will be a reaction both at a bilateral level and at the level of the European Union and NATO.

Greece will continue to inform its partners and allies about Turkey’s destabilizing role.

It expresses its satisfaction with the statements of the Speaker, as well as of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee of the Libyan House of Representatives, regarding the invalidity and lack of legitimacy of the memorandum signed today in Tripoli.