A letter of protest addressed to the Speakers of the Parliaments of the member states of the European Union (EU), the parliaments of Arab states, and international and regional parliamentary organizations was sent on Thursday by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Annita Dimitriou, following the Libyan House of Representatives’ approval of the so-called 2019 Turkish-Libyan Memorandum of Understanding on the delimitation of the maritime zones of the two states in the Mediterranean.
According to a party statement, in her letter, Ms. Dimitriou emphasizes that the Libyan House of Representatives’ decision in no way legitimizes a baseless, illegal, and invalid agreement that lacks any legal basis for the delimitation of maritime zones between two countries, in this case between Turkey and Libya, which do not share a common or adjacent coastline, while at the same time disregarding the rights of the Greek islands to maritime zones, including the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, as provided for by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In light of the growing tensions and tectonic shifts taking place in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament notes that this deeply concerning development reflects Ankara’s broad influence in Libya at the political, military, and investment levels, and given the transitional situation in Libya, questions arise regarding the legitimacy of political and institutional bodies to enter into agreements that bind the country in the long term.
Η επικύρωση του ΠΑΡΑΝΟΜΟΥ τουρκολιβυκού μνημονίου ουδόλως νομιμοποιεί μια αβάσιμη, παράνομη και άκυρη συμφωνία, που στερείται νομικής βάσης για την οριοθέτηση θαλάσσιων ζωνών μεταξύ δύο χωρών, στην προκειμένη περίπτωση της Τουρκίας και της Λιβύης. Με επιστολή – διάβημα προς Προέδρους Κοινοβουλίων και διεθνών κοινοβουλευτικών οργανισμών, ανέδειξα τη σοβαρότητα αυτής της εξέλιξης και τις επιπτώσεις της στη σταθερότητα της Ανατολικής Μεσογείου. Η Κύπρος, ως νησιώτικο κράτος και το εγγύτερο μέλος της EE στην περιοχή, που υφίσταται εδώ και πενήντα δύο χρόνια τις οδυνηρές συνέπειες της τουρκικής εισβολής και συνεχιζόμενης κατοχής και τις εντεινόμενες προκλήσεις της Τουρκίας επί του εδάφους και στην Αποκλειστική Οικονομική της Ζώνη, έχει κάθε λόγο να ανησυχεί ιδιαίτερα για την εξέλιξη αυτή. Τα Κοινοβούλια οφείλουν να αξιοποιήσουν ουσιαστικά την κοινοβουλευτική διπλωματία, αναλαμβάνοντας συντονισμένες πρωτοβουλίες για την καταδίκη της παράνομης αυτής ενέργειας και την άσκηση πίεσης προς την Τουρκία, ώστε να εγκαταλείψει τις επεκτατικές της αξιώσεις και να συμμορφωθεί με το Διεθνές Δίκαιο και τις διεθνείς της υποχρεώσεις. Η προάσπιση της διεθνούς νομιμότητας και η διαφύλαξη της ειρήνης, της ασφάλειας και της σταθερότητας στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο και την ευρύτερη περιοχή αποτελούν κοινή ευθύνη και απαιτούν αποφασιστική και συντονισμένη δράση.
— Annita Demetriou (@AnnitaDemetriou) October 22, 2026
It should be added that in her letter, the Speaker of the House emphasizes that Cyprus, as an island nation and the EU’s closest member in the region, has been suffering for 52 years from the painful consequences of the Turkish invasion and ongoing occupation, as well as Turkey’s escalating provocations on its territory and in its Exclusive Economic Zone, has every reason to be particularly concerned about this development.
This specific action, the Speaker of the House points out, disrupts the balance of power and further destabilizes the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean region, and constitutes yet another challenge to the rules-based international order, as it involves violations of the sovereign rights of third states, undermines security, weakens respect for international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and sets a dangerous precedent that threatens stability and cooperation at sea.
In conclusion, Ms. Dimitriou calls on the Speakers of national parliaments and international parliamentary organizations to condemn this action by the Libyan House of Representatives, as one that produces no legally binding international effects and does not legitimize the illegal Turkey-Libya Memorandum of Understanding, while also calling on them to use their influence, within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy, to ensure that Turkey renounces its expansionist claims and complies with its international obligations.
Source: CNA
