Türkiye said on Feb. 19 it opposed Greece’s hydrocarbon exploration activities south of Crete carried out by a consortium led by U.S. oil major Chevron, calling them "unilateral" steps that violate international law and harm good neighbourly relations.
The Chevron-led consortium signed exclusive lease agreements on Monday to search for natural gas off southern Greece, a move that expands the U.S. presence in the eastern Mediterranean.
“We oppose this unlawful activity, which is being attempted in violation of the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on Maritime Jurisdiction between Libya and our country,” Turkish Defense Ministry officials were quoted as saying during a weekly press briefing.
The ministry said the exploration does not directly affect Türkiye's continental shelf but argued it violates maritime jurisdiction declared by Libya to the United Nations on May 27, 2025.
“We continue to provide the necessary support to the Libyan authorities to take action against these unilateral and unlawful activities by Greece,” the ministry said.
The 2019 maritime deal between Türkiye and Libya defined boundaries in the Mediterranean but was rejected by Greece, which said the deal ignored the presence of the Greek island of Crete between the coastlines of the two countries.
The Chevron agreement doubles the amount of Greek maritime acreage available for exploration and marks the second deal in recent months involving a major U.S. energy company, as the European Union seeks to reduce reliance on Russian energy supplies and the United States aims to help replace them.
NATO allies Türkiye and Greece have long been at odds over maritime boundaries and energy rights in the Aegean Sea, a region believed to hold significant hydrocarbon resources and carrying implications for airspace and military activity.
A 2023 declaration on friendly ties helped soften rhetoric between the two countries, though key disputes remain unresolved despite leaders expressing willingness to address them.
