“Absolute invalidity”.. Egypt refuses to ratify the eastern Libyan parliament’s memorandum of understanding on the “maritime borders” with Türkiye

On Wednesday, Egypt announced its categorical rejection of the House of Representatives meeting in eastern Libya ratifying the memorandum of understanding signed in 2019 between the Government of National Accord and Turkey regarding the maritime borders. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in which it declared its categorical rejection of ratification, and reaffirmed that “the memorandum is absolutely invalid and has no legal effect, and its ratification by the Libyan House of Representatives does not have any legal implications for Egypt.”

The statement continued that Egypt confirms that “the aforementioned memorandum of understanding violates 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 designation of the exclusive zone and the continental shelf, which relies on the principles of justice and equity, as the memorandum entails a clear violation of Egypt’s sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.” Egypt had previously objected to the signing of the memorandum of understanding, indicating in the statement that it “reserves its right to protect its rights guaranteed by international law and to confront any attempt to violate them.”

Israel also issued a statement earlier Wednesday, declaring its condemnation of the ratification decision. The ministry said in a brief statement on its account on the

The statement continued: “What is regrettable is that we once again see Türkiye seeking to destabilize the eastern Mediterranean region.” The Libyan House of Representatives in the east of the country voted on Tuesday in favor of adopting the memorandum of understanding signed between the Government of National Accord and Turkey.

The Libyan House of Representatives elected Al-Salehin Abdul Nabi as the new Speaker of the Council during a session on the 7th of this month, succeeding its former Speaker Aguila Saleh. In 2019, the former Government of National Accord in Tripoli signed a memorandum of understanding with Türkiye, which sparked official protests from Egypt and Greece and reached the corridors of the United Nations via protest notes.

The Libyan House of Representatives refused to adopt the memorandum over the years when Aguila Saleh was at the head of the legislative authority, before it was approved in Tuesday’s session. The Council's decision comes within a remarkable rapprochement between Türkiye and the authorities in eastern Libya, accompanied by the conclusion of several cooperation agreements.

It is noteworthy that during the campaign of eastern Libyan forces against Tripoli in 2019, the Government of National Accord received political and military support from Ankara.