'Null and void:' Egypt condemns Turkey-Libya maritime deal, reaffirms pact with Greece

Egypt has declared a contentious maritime deal sealed by Turkey and eastern Libya as “null and void, absolutely”, reaffirming its commitment to an agreement it sealed with Greece.

Egypt’s foreign ministry on Wednesday “reiterated that the memorandum is null and void, carries no legal effect, and that its ratification by the Libyan House of Representatives entails no legal consequences whatsoever for Egypt”, according to a statement.

Egypt’s statement marks a show of support for Greece, a longtime partner in the Eastern Mediterranean, and underscores Cairo’s own reservations about the Turkish agreement, which directly contradicts one it reached with Athens.

Turkey’s eastern parliament surprised many on Tuesday by unanimously approving a contentious maritime deal with Turkey that it had opposed for years. The agreement was first approved by Libya’s Tripoli-based government in 2019.

Eastern Libya is controlled by Khalifa Haftar, a general who previously was at war with Tripoli's government. Turkey provided weapons, soldiers and mercenaries to help Tripoli defeat Khalifa’s military offensive in 2019. Khalifa was backed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt.