Greece urges UN to ignore Ankara-Tripoli maritime deal

▶ Boundary agreement has fuelled tension over oil and gas drilling rights

Greece complained to the United Nations in two letters that object to a new maritime boundary deal between Turkey and Libya.

Athens asked for the matter to be addressed by the UN Security Council, a government representative said yesterday.

Greece’s foreign minister, Nikos Dendias, also convened a meeting in Athens to brief political party leaders on developments.

The deal, endorsed by Turkey’s parliament last week, fuelled regional tension, particularly over drilling rights for gas and oil exploration.

The agreement would give Turkey and Libya access to an economic zone across the Mediterranean despite the objections of Greece, Egypt and Cyprus, which lie between the two signatories.

All three countries have criticised the deal as being contrary to international law, and Greece expelled the Libyan ambassador last week over the issue.

Greece sent one letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and one to the head of the UN Security Council on Monday night, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said.

The letters detailed the country’s position and said the agreement “was done in bad faith and violates the Law of the Sea, as the sea zones of Turkey and Libya are not neighbouring, nor is there a joint maritime border between the two countries”.

The letters also said the deal “does not take into account the Greek islands” and their right to a continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

The agreement has also not been ratified by Libya’s parliament, Mr Petsas said, rendering it “void and unable to affect Greek sovereign rights”.

Neighbours Greece and Turkey, although Nato allies, have tense relations and are divided by a series of decades-old disputes, including territorial issues in the Aegean Sea.

They have come to the brink of war three times since the 1970s, including once over drilling rights in the Aegean.

“Greece will do whatever is needed, and it knows what to do to defend its sovereign rights,” Mr Petsas said.

He said that the letter to Mr Guterres asked for the deal not to be published by the organisation’s Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.

Mr Nikos Dendias raised the issue on Monday at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, eliciting support from some of his European counterparts.

“I want to tell Greek society that the country is dealing with the very serious problems with seriousness and confidence,” Mr Dendias said after briefing party leaders in Athens.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said while some of the bloc’s members were concerned, the EU would study the deal further before deciding whether to take action.

“It’s clear that it is problematic. It poses major concerns to certain member states, in particular Greece and Cyprus,” Mr Borrell said.

“We are going to be studying this question very closely, being clear that any agreement must respect international law.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that he was ready to send troops to Libya if requested by the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.

“On the issue of sending soldiers ... if Libya makes such a request from us, we can send our personnel there, especially after striking the military security agreement,” he said.

Turkey signed a military agreement last month with Libya’s Government of National Accord, led by Prime Minister Fayez Al Sarraj.