Egypt refuses to ratify the Libyan Parliament’s maritime agreement with Türkiye: “It has no effect”

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Egypt announced its categorical rejection of the Libyan House of Representatives’ ratification of the memorandum of understanding signed in 2019 between Fayez al-Sarraj and Turkey regarding defining areas of maritime jurisdiction in the Mediterranean, stressing that the memorandum is absolutely invalid and has no legal effect, and that its ratification does not entail any legal effects for Egypt.

Today, Wednesday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement that the aforementioned memorandum of understanding violates the principles of the international law of the sea and the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982, related to the designation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, which adopts the principles of justice and equity.

She explained that the memorandum entails a clear violation of Egypt’s sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.

Egypt stated that it had previously categorically objected to the aforementioned memorandum of understanding, reiterating its rejection of the memorandum and any procedures or actions issued by any party based on it, in conflict with the declared Egyptian maritime borders.

Egypt affirmed that it reserves its right to protect its rights guaranteed by international law, and to confront any attempt to violate them.

The crisis dates back to November 2019, when Ankara and the Libyan Government of National Accord, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, signed a memorandum of understanding to demarcate the maritime borders and continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean.

The memorandum aimed to pave the way for oil and gas exploration and drilling, but it was met with widespread rejection by Egypt, Greece and Cyprus. These countries considered that the memorandum violated their sovereign rights and ignored coastal geography and the quality of the main islands in the region.

The latest development comes after the Libyan House of Representatives canceled its previous position of refusing to ratify it, which prompted Cairo to confirm its firm position on the illegality of any unilateral measures, while Egypt stresses that this step does not have any legal effect and confirms its full commitment to protecting its maritime borders.