Madar (Benghazi) - Libya's House of Representatives on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, voted unanimously in Benghazi to approve the memorandum of understanding signed between the former Government of National Accord and Turkey on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean, House spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said, according to the Libyan News Agency (LANA).
The House also revoked its Resolution No. 1 of 2020, which had rejected ratification of the two memoranda concluded with Ankara, and Resolution No. 6 of 2020 on severing political relations with Turkey.
Signed in Istanbul on November 27, 2019 and registered with the United Nations on December 11 that year, the memorandum sets the limits of the two countries' continental shelf and exclusive economic zone using geographic coordinates and provides for settling disputes through diplomatic channels, the agency said.
Turkey's foreign ministry welcomed the vote, calling the memorandum "based on international law and the principles of equity". The Government of National Unity, the House-appointed government, the High Council of State, Presidential Council member Musa al-Koni and deputy commander-in-chief Saddam Haftar also welcomed it, Libyan media reported.
The European Union expressed "deep regret", saying its position had not changed since 2019 and that the agreement "infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states" and does not comply with the Law of the Sea, while reaffirming solidarity with Greece and Cyprus, according to LANA and the Libya Herald. Athens rejected the decision, saying it "does not change" its legal position on the memorandum, and Nicosia condemned it and said it considers the text "null and void", the Al Wasat portal reported.
