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The speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives, Salih Abdunnebi, said the maritime jurisdiction memorandum between Libya and Türkiye does not harm other countries’ interests.
He called it “a sovereign decision” and said Libya has the right to protect its own interests.
He spoke on Wednesday while receiving Italy’s consul general in Libya, Filippo Colombo, and his delegation at the parliament’s headquarters in Benghazi, in the east of the country, according to a statement from the House.
“This is a sovereign decision, and the Libyan state has the right to look after its own interests,” Abdunnebi said, according to the statement.
“The agreement does not harm the interests of other countries. Libyans are united on this issue.”
Abdunnebi told the Italian delegation that the House had accepted and ratified the memorandum, which sets out the delineation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean between Libya and Türkiye.
He said it should be viewed as part of Libya’s sovereign rights.
The House voted unanimously on Oct. 20 to approve the memorandum, which was signed in 2019 by Libya’s then Government of National Accord and Türkiye.
In the same session, it also unanimously revoked two earlier measures: Resolution No. 1 of 2020, which had rejected ratification of the deal, and Resolution No. 6, which called for cutting political ties with Türkiye.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj signed the memorandum on Nov. 27, 2019. It entered into force on Dec. 7, 2019.
The ratification was welcomed by several Libyan parties, including the Government of National Unity, the government appointed by the eastern-based House of Representatives and the High Council of State.
Libya has had rival administrations in the east and west since 2014. A broad welcome from both camps for a measure approved unanimously by the House is therefore notable.
Colombo congratulated Abdunnebi on his election as House speaker in the vote for the chamber’s presiding board on Oct. 6 and wished him success in the post.
The two sides discussed the historic relations and shared interests of Italy and Libya.
They also covered economic cooperation, the contribution of Italian companies to Libya’s reconstruction and ways to strengthen ties between the two countries’ parliaments.
Maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean have long been contested.
Greece and other countries in the region objected to the 2019 memorandum when it was signed. The arrangement defines overlapping exclusive economic zones between Türkiye’s southern coast and Libya’s northern coast.
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