Egypt Foreign Ministry Rejects Libya Maritime Ratification
- A 2019 maritime agreement reshaped Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics, and a vote by Libya's parliament has brought the contested deal back to the center of regional friction.
- Egypt's official response characterized the Libyan parliament's approval of the 2019 memorandum as entirely void and without legal consequence.
- Greece aligned with Egypt's position, as Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis discussed the crisis with his Egyptian counterpart on Oct.
A 2019 maritime agreement reshaped Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics, and a vote by Libya’s parliament has brought the contested deal back to the center of regional friction. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the ratification on Oct. 21, 2026, stating that the move carries no legal bearing for Cairo. Cairo rejected the agreement approved by the House of Representatives based in the east of the country, while the measure was passed on a Tuesday.
Cairo Rejects Maritime Ratification as Void
Egypt’s official response characterized the Libyan parliament’s approval of the 2019 memorandum as entirely void and without legal consequence. Badr Abdelatty maintained during meetings in Istanbul on Oct. 23, 2026, that the agreement violates international maritime law and infringes upon Egypt’s sovereign continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. Cairo maintains the pact cannot diminish its sovereign rights or impose any binding obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Egyptian foreign ministry stated in a Friday statement that Abdelatty stressed the importance of respecting the principles of the international law of the sea and the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea regarding the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, in accordance with the principles of justice and equity among states. The ministers discussed developments in the situation in Libya, where Abdelatty affirmed Egypt’s position supporting the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability of Libya and supporting Libyan state institutions. The internationally recognized Libyan government based in Tripoli concluded the maritime agreement with Turkey in 2019, but the rival government in the east, led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, had refrained from approving it for years.
Athens and Cairo Coordinate Joint Response
Greece aligned with Egypt’s position, as Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis discussed the crisis with his Egyptian counterpart on Oct. 22, 2026. Both nations reaffirmed their shared rejection of the Libyan-Turkish pact and agreed to pursue talks regarding the expansion of their own 2020 exclusive economic zone delimitation agreement. Athens and Cairo argue that the Turkish-Libyan maritime corridor ignores the legal impact of Greek islands and cuts across established jurisdictional boundaries in the region. Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis had a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, with discussions focusing on the strategic partnership between Greece and Egypt and developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara Defends Strategic Role in Libya
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the tensions with Egyptian officials during the R4 and E4 ministerial meetings in Istanbul on Oct. 23, 2026. Fidan acknowledged Egyptian security concerns regarding Libya and emphasized the need for ongoing consultation between Ankara and Cairo.
Shifting Alliances in Libyan Politics
The parliamentary vote succeeded following the recent transition in Libya’s legislature, which saw the selection of Al-Salheen Abd al-Nabi as speaker on Oct. 7, 2026, replacing Aguila Saleh. The vote reflects a consensus between eastern and western political factions in Libya after years of division. While the internationally recognized government in Tripoli originally signed the accord in late 2019, eastern factions under Khalifa Haftar had blocked its ratification until now.
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