Libya has issued a formal diplomatic protest to the United Nations,
Libya has issued a formal diplomatic protest to the United Nations, directly challenging Greece’s maritime boundary claims south and west of Crete. This marks the first time Tripoli has officially laid claim to areas of the Eastern Mediterranean previously designated by Greece for offshore hydrocarbon exploration.
At the heart of the dispute is the contentious 2019 maritime memorandum signed between Turkey and Libya, which Athens and much of the international community have rejected as legally invalid under international maritime law.
Libya’s Diplomatic Protest and Its Claims
The diplomatic note, submitted to the UN on June 20 and published on July 3, questions the so-called “median line” defined by Greece, which forms the basis for licensing offshore blocks south of Crete. Libya asserts these waters are subject to an unresolved bilateral dispute and considers them part of its own maritime domain.
In attached maps, Libya illustrates a maritime boundary extending from its agreement with Turkey. This line effectively eliminates Greece’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) south of Crete and challenges the island’s impact on determining maritime zones.
Tripoli accuses Athens of creating de facto situations detrimental to Libya’s sovereign rights, describing Greece’s licensing process as an illegal and unilateral action without
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