Libya deal sparks rift in Greek politics

ATHENS

Turkish seismic exploration vessel Oruç Reis is in the eastern Mediterranean on July 23, 2020.

Libya’s ratification of a 2019 maritime agreement with Türkiye has sparked a domestic political rift in Greece, with lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party describing the development as a foreign policy failure and drawing criticism from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ office, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported.

Libya’s House of Representatives unanimously approved the maritime boundary agreement with Türkiye on Oct. 20, reversing its previous rejection of the deal and a decision to sever political ties with Ankara, according to a statement from the Libyan parliament.

The agreement has long been a source of regional tensions, with Greece, Egypt and Greek Cyprus opposing it on the grounds that it conflicts with their maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean, where competing territorial claims are closely linked to energy exploration rights.

Ruling New Democracy lawmakers Dimitris Kalogeropoulos said Greece had “swallowed the bitter pill,” while another MP Dimitris Keridis described the development as a “political defeat.”

The newspaper argued that Keridis’ remarks had caused greater concern at the prime minister’s office than Kalogeropoulos’ comments.

“Keridis’ statements caused concern not only because he is a professor of international relations, but also because he serves as New Democracy’s parliamentary spokesperson. The prime minister’s office would have preferred him to be more cautious in his remarks,” the report said.

The Greek opposition also described the development as a failure of the government’s foreign policy, adding to domestic political criticism over the agreement’s approval.

Greece and Egypt have agreed in principle to launch negotiations on extending their exclusive economic zone (EEZ) agreement eastward.