Any appeal or action in pursuance of the 2019 Turkish-Libyan “memorandum” will be de facto illegal and, depending on its seriousness, there will be a reaction both at the bilateral level and at the level of the European Union and NATO, the ministry said. emphasized in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the signing of the “memorandum of cooperation” between the Government of National Unity (GNU) Libya And her Turkey in the hydrocarbon sector.

The Foreign Ministry notes that Athens is closely following the developments in Libya and emphasizes that Greece has sovereign rights in the region, which it intends to protect by all legal means, with full respect for international maritime law.

He recalls, moreover, that Greece demarcated its EEZ with Egypt, an agreement that was made with respect to international maritime law.

“Greece is following developments in Libya very closely, and especially the signing today of a “memorandum of cooperation” between the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Libya and Turkey in the field of hydrocarbons.

Greece has sovereign rights in the area, which it intends to defend by all legal means, in full respect of international maritime law.

It is recalled that Greece demarcated its EEZ with Egypt, an agreement that was made with regard to international maritime law.

At the same time, Greece retains, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ipso facto et ad initio the right to the continental shelf, which, in the absence of a bilateral agreement, is determined by the median line. .

Finally, the 2019 Turkish-Libyan “memorandum” is pointed out as illegal, invalid and non-existent. Therefore, no one has the right to refer to it.

Any appeal or action in pursuance of this “memorandum” will be de facto illegal and, depending on its seriousness, there will be a reaction both at the bilateral level and at the level of the European Union and NATO.

Greece will continue to inform its partners and allies about Turkey’s destabilizing role.

Satisfaction is expressed with the statements of the President, as well as the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the House of Representatives of Libya, about the invalidity and illegitimacy of the memorandum signed today in Tripoli.

Dendias in Cairo on Sunday – communication with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias spoke by phone with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri, about the latest developments in Libya.

Both sides questioned the legitimacy of the signing by the Libyan government of national unity of the mentioned memorandum of understanding with Turkey. It was also agreed that the Greek foreign minister would travel to Cairo for consultations next Sunday, 9 October.

I had a telephone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister S. Shukri about the latest developments in Libya. We questioned the legitimacy of the signing by the Libyan Government of National Unity of the said memorandum of understanding. I will go to Cairo for consultations on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/rF975vfyy0

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) October 3, 2022

Mr. Dendias will meet with the US Ambassador shortly to discuss the latest developments in Libya. Earlier, the Foreign Minister met with French Ambassador Patrick Mesonave, with whom they discussed developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.

It is recalled that at noon, diplomatic sources from Athens made it clear that “the issue of the allegedly pregnant Turkish-Libyan agreement on the exploitation of Libyan energy sources by Turkey is under close attention” and that “there will be an official position if there is an agreement and information about its content.”

According to the same diplomatic sources, “compliance with the Greek-Egyptian agreement on the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone of 2020 is absolutely necessary”, and in this context, “violation” of the Greek-Egyptian agreement in question will not be tolerated.

Greece will defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights on the basis of international law and especially international maritime law, diplomatic sources stressed, noting that the Foreign Ministry informs allies and partners.

Libyan parliament speaker: Memorandum with Turkey illegal

Chairman of the Libyan House of Representatives Akila Saleh called illegal the memorandum signed today between the foreign ministers of Libya and Turkey on hydrocarbons. As he stressed, the Tripoli government has no authority.

The Libyan and Turkish foreign ministers have signed a memorandum of understanding on hydrocarbon exploration in Libyan waters, three years after the signing of the maritime demarcation memorandum that drew the ire of Greece and the European Union.

Cavusoglu: Third countries have no right to interfere

“We signed a memorandum of understanding on the search for hydrocarbons in Libyan territorial waters, as well as on the territory of Libya, by joint Turkish-Libyan companies,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a press conference with his Libyan counterpart Naila Al Mangus. .

Answering a question about the possible reaction of Greece and France after the signing of the latest agreements, Cavusoglu said that third countries have no right to interfere in agreements signed between two sovereign states.

“These memorandums are the business of two sovereign countries, they are beneficial to both, and other countries have no right to interfere in these matters,” he said, adding that “it doesn’t matter what they think.”