Cyprus has officially rejected the 2019 maritime boundary agreement signed between Libya’s Government of National Accord and Turkey, calling it legally baseless and incompatible with international law.
In a note verbale submitted to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Nicosia asserted that the Libya–Turkey memorandum of understanding does not comply with the principles of international law or the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
The Cypriot government emphasized that the deal also contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which Cyprus and Greece invoke to define their maritime boundaries.
The statement comes amid intensifying disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, where overlapping claims to maritime zones and energy exploration rights have fueled political and diplomatic friction. On August 6, Greece also submitted a formal note to the UN responding to protests lodged by Libya’s rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi, after Athens granted new exploration licenses south of Crete.
Tripoli’s outgoing Government of National Unity protested the Greek move, arguing that Athens’ published map of its exclusive economic zone encroaches on contested waters south of Crete, in violation of international law. Both Greece and Cyprus, however, argue that the 2019 Turkey–Libya deal ignores the rights of islands such as Crete and Rhodes, thereby undermining established maritime norms.
For Ankara and Tripoli, the agreement remains a legitimate bilateral understanding that strengthens their strategic partnership and expands their maritime influence in the Mediterranean. For Athens and Nicosia, it represents an unlawful overreach threatening their sovereign rights and regional stability.
The renewed exchanges highlight the fragility of the East Mediterranean’s political balance, where competition over offshore natural gas reserves has already heightened tensions among NATO allies and regional neighbors. With each side seeking UN backing for its position, the dispute is set to remain a flashpoint in Mediterranean geopolitics, prolonging the region’s cycle of diplomatic and security confrontations.
