Egypt and Turkey discuss the situation in Libya amid differing positions regarding the “maritime borders” memorandum

On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan discussed bilateral relations and developments in the situation in Libya, amid Egypt’s refusal to ratify the Libyan Parliament’s memorandum of understanding regarding the demarcation of the maritime borders between Libya and Turkey. The meeting, which was held in Istanbul, came on the sidelines of Egypt's participation in the meetings of the Quartet (R4), which includes the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, along with the European (E3) countries, which includes France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to discuss developments in the situation in the region.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated, in a statement, that Abdel-Ati and Hakan discussed developments in the situation in Libya, and that the Egyptian Foreign Minister affirmed “Egypt’s firm position in support of Libya’s unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability, and its keenness to support Libyan state institutions in a way that preserves the interests of the Libyan people and responds to their aspirations.” The statement added, "The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Egypt's categorical refusal to ratify the memorandum of understanding signed in 2019, stressing the importance of respecting the principles of international law of the sea and the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982, with regard to the designation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, in accordance with the principles of justice and equity between states."

The Egyptian statement stated that the Turkish Foreign Minister "confirmed his understanding of the Egyptian concerns regarding developments in the situation in Libya, stressing the importance of continuing consultation, coordination and joint work to deal with these concerns and support efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in Libya." On Wednesday, Egypt announced its categorical rejection of the approval by the Libyan House of Representatives, held in the east of the country, of the memorandum of understanding signed in 2019 between the former Government of National Accord and Turkey regarding the maritime borders.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement declaring 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 Libyan House of Representatives in the east of the country voted, on Tuesday, in favor of adopting the memorandum of understanding signed between the former Government of National Accord and Turkey.

In 2019, the Government of National Accord, which was based in Tripoli, signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkey regarding maritime borders, which raised official objections from Egypt and Greece, and the issue reached the corridors of the United Nations through protest notes. The Libyan House of Representatives refused to adopt the memorandum for years, during Aguila Saleh’s presidency of the legislative authority, before approving it in Tuesday’s session.

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. The Council’s decision comes in light of a remarkable rapprochement between Türkiye and the authorities in eastern Libya, which included the conclusion of many 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.