Greece on Tuesday rejected a decision by Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives to approve the 2019 maritime boundary agreement between Turkey and Libya, saying the deal was without legal effect, Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters via Devdiscourse

In a foreign ministry statement, Athens said the memorandum violated international law of the sea and infringed the sovereign rights of states in the region, arguing Turkey and Libya do not have opposite or adjacent coasts that would justify such a delimitation.

Greece called on Libya to refrain from actions that undermine stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and said it had informed partners and allies and would take all appropriate measures to safeguard its sovereign rights. Baird Maritime, also reporting Reuters, noted Turkey's foreign ministry welcomed the Libyan parliament's decision, saying the agreement respected both countries' rights — a position Athens disputes.

Cyprus also rejected the ratification, saying the accord infringed other states' sovereign rights and conflicted with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, according to Cyprus Inform. The deal, first signed in 2019, has long been opposed by Greece, Egypt and Cyprus over competing claims to sea borders and energy exploration rights south of Crete.