"The Republic of Cyprus expresses serious concerns about the motives behind this move and the interests it aims to serve" the Republic of Cyprus has expressed regarding the timing of the Libyan House of Representatives’ decision to approve the 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum, in a letter from its Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Maria Michael, to Secretary-General António Guterres.
The letter, dated October 23, 2026, refers to the decision of October 20 and reiterates the positions that the Cypriot government has articulated in its previous communications with the UN on January 20, 2020, April 24, 2020, July 20, 2020, and the Note Verbale of August 18, 2025.
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“The independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Libya must not be subordinated to the geopolitical aims and ambitions of third states,” it emphasizes.
It is noted that Turkey is exploiting the political and institutional conditions in Libya to advance unlawful maritime claims, seeking “to impose an artificial maritime reality at the expense of the sovereign rights of third states.”
Such actions, it is noted, reflect “a deliberate policy of escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean,” undermine international law, and constitute “a serious threat to regional peace, security, and stability.”
According to the letter, the memorandum is inconsistent with international law, particularly with the rules governing the conclusion of treaties and with the Law of the Sea, as set forth in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Therefore, it “has no legal effect on third parties” nor does it affect the rights of any third State in maritime zones, including its sovereign rights.
The Republic of Cyprus points out that the memorandum attempts to establish a boundary between two states that “do not share a common or adjacent coastline,” thereby creating “a non-existent maritime boundary” and deliberately ignoring the presence and rights of other coastal states in maritime zones, including the Greek islands.
He points out that Article 121, paragraph 2, of UNCLOS reflects customary international law and is also binding on states that are not parties to the Convention. As it emphasizes, the provision explicitly grants islands the right to “territorial waters, a contiguous zone, a continental shelf, and an exclusive economic zone.”
The letter emphasizes that maritime boundary agreements must be concluded between states with opposite or adjacent coasts, “in good faith and in accordance with the established principles of international law,” as codified in UNCLOS and guided by international case law.
Ms. Michael requests that the letter be circulated as a document of the General Assembly and the Security Council, as well as its publication on the website of the relevant UN Directorate and in the Bulletin of the Law of the Sea.
Source: CNA
