A significant turning point is shaped to Libya. The East Parliament, based in Benghazi, is expected in the coming weeks to rule in favor of an agreement with Turkey, which will allow Ankara to explore Libyan waters for gas and oil, Bloomberg reports. To date, the contrast of this body, ally of the commander Haftarhe had blocked the process.
The agreement, signed in 2019 with the government of Tripoli but was never approved by the Benghazi government in East Libya, under the control of Califa Haftar, would cover an extensive sea zone between Crete and Crete and Turkey. Its implementation would enable Turkish ships to launch investigations, reinforcing Ankara’s claims in the Eastern Mediterranean. An explosive prospect for Greece and Cyprus, which denounce a Turkey’s attempt to impose on the region.
Approach between anchor and huffy
This possible conversion reflects the improvement of relations between Turkey and Haftar, who were opponents in the 2019–20 Civil War.
Ankara, which provided military support to the Islamist government of Tripoli, gradually proceeded with approach moves: military visits, return to Benghazi and reconstruction contracts assigned to Turkish companies.
Energy and Diplomatic Stakes
For Ankara, the stakes go beyond energy: it is also the recovery of billions that have frozen after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, as well as to strengthen its peripheral influence. However, such an agreement could rekindle the confrontation with Athens, especially after Greece’s decision in May to launch a tender for investigations south of Crete, in an area also claimed by Libya.
The European Union has already warned: such a Turkey -Libyan agreement “violates the sovereign rights of third countries” and is not in line with international sea law.