Egypt, Greece reject Libyan-Turkish energy exploration agreement

We’re not fans of a fresh Libyan-Turkish energy exploration agreement: We’ve joined Greece in rejecting a preliminary energy exploration agreement signed between Turkey and the Tripoli-based government in Libya. The Tripoli government — one of two rival governing factions in Libya — does not have the authority to conclude any international agreements or MoUs, our Foreign Ministry said in a statement, following a phone call between Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias to discuss the move.

What agreement? While the details of the Libyan-Turkish agreement weren’t immediately clear, Reuters is reporting that it could include exploration rights in the so-called “exclusive economic zone” drawn up by the two countries back in 2019, which Egypt and Greece have disputed with their own rival agreement demarcating maritime borders in the oil and gas-rich East Med.