Turkish – Libyan agreement flares up tensions

Turkish parliament backs contentious deal with Libya

05.12.2019
Turkey’s parliament on Thursday endorsed a controversial deal on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean reached between Turkey and Libya’s UN-supported government.
Legislators approved the agreement which would give Turkey access to an economic zone across the Mediterranean, brushing aside objections by Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and the rival and competing power base in Libya.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the agreement last week with Libya’s Tripoli-based government, led by Fayez Sarraj, which controls parts of the country’s west. The two also signed a security cooperation agreement.
Read more at http://www.ekathimerini.com/247235/article/ekathimerini/news/turkish-parliament-backs-contentious-deal-with-libya

Turkey-Libya maritime deal triggers Mediterranean tensions

29.11.2019
Two deals signed by Turkey and the internationally recognized government in Libya on maritime boundaries and military cooperation have angered their regional neighbors, ratcheting up tension in the Mediterranean over energy resources and strengthening Turkey’s ally in the North African county ahead of a Berlin conference on conflict in the region.
The timing of the deals comes at a moment in the Libyan conflict when Turkey’s ally Fayez Sarraj, prime minister of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), appears to need support in pushing back the eight-month assault on Tripoli by the eastern forces of Khalifa Haftar, or LNA.
Fahrettin Altun, communication director for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tweeted this week that the military agreement would “improve the security situation for the Libyan people.” However, details of the memorandums, signed Wednesday, have yet to be released.
Read more at https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-libya-maritime-deal-triggers-mediterranean-tensions/a-51477783

Turkey-Libya agreement: A move with consequences

30.11.2019
We do not yet know the details of the agreement signed on Thursday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the head of Libya’s National Accord government Fayez al-Sarraj. The deal has been described as a memorandum of understanding, though what matters in international law is the content, not the name of an agreement. However, never before has a maritime borders agreement been called a memorandum of understanding, because the latter is not legally binding. The next few days should reveal what exactly has been agreed between the two sides.
The development doesn’t come as any surprise. Libya has two governments that are engaged in a civil war. Al-Sarraj’s National Accord government is based in the capital Tripoli and has been recognized by the United Nations.
Read more at http://www.ekathimerini.com/246999/article/ekathimerini/comment/turkey-libya-agreement-a-move-with-consequences