Türkiye welcomes eastern Libya’s review of maritime deal
ANKARA
Turkish defense officials have welcomed a decision by Libya’s eastern-based administration to revisit a 2019 maritime jurisdiction agreement between the North African country and Türkiye.
Defense Ministry sources told local media on June 12 that the deal "registered our alliance based on historical ties with Libya at sea."
“We welcome the fact that [Khalifa] Haftar’s side is also reviewing this and are closely following the developments,” the sources said, referring to the military commander who controls eastern Libya.
The Tripoli government and Türkiye signed the maritime boundary agreement in 2019, which delineated exclusive economic zones in the eastern Mediterranean. In 2022, the two sides expanded the deal with a memorandum granting Türkiye exploration rights both offshore and on Libyan territory.
"In the memorandum of understanding, the median line between the mainland was taken as the basis while determining the maritime areas, and Libya’s rights were fully protected, contrary to the maximalist demands of other countries," Turkish officials said.
Both deals were denounced by Greece and are widely considered invalid. Libya’s parliament, aligned with Haftar’s forces, also rejected the agreements until now.
According to media reports, the House of Representatives has decided to establish a technical committee to reexamine the 2019 maritime deal. The move is seen as part of a recent thaw in relations between Ankara and the eastern Libyan administration.
Separately, the ministry reported ongoing progress in operations against PKK following the terror group’s recent announcement to dissolve itself amid a government-backed initiative dubbed "terror-free Türkiye."
Officials said six PKK members who fled their shelters in northern Iraq surrendered over the past week.
"Developments in the field ... are being closely monitored in coordination with all institutions, and all necessary measures are being taken,” the ministry said.
As part of these efforts, Turkish forces discovered a large cave used as a weapons depot in northern Iraq. The ministry shared images of the facility and reported seizing three anti-tank weapons, three heavy anti-aircraft machine guns, 14 sniper rifles, 36 long-barreled weapons and over 45,000 rounds of ammunition.
PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. The disarmament decision follows a series of meetings with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan that began on Dec. 28, 2024, and continued in this year's first months.
