Libyan parliament speaker claims maritime deal with Turkey invalid but open to renegotiation

On December 15, Aguila Saleh, Libya’s House of Representatives speaker, deemed the 2019 Libya-Turkey maritime deal illegitimate and non-binding in an interview with the Libyan News Agency (LANA). Saleh argued that the agreement was “built on illegality,” as the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) did not secure its ratification from the House of Representatives. At that time, the Libyan legislature was part of the GNA’s rival Tobruk Government, and it remains involved in Libya’s east-west political struggle despite a de facto reunification.

In 2019, Turkey intervened decisively in Libya’s civil war to shore up the Tripoli-based government of Fayez al Sarraj, supplying advanced weaponry and deploying Turkish forces to secure his administration. In exchange, Sarraj signed a controversial maritime boundary agreement that dramatically expanded Turkey’s claimed rights in the eastern Mediterranean—claims that directly contravened Greece’s internationally recognized maritime zones. The deal, swiftly condemned by the European Union (EU) and regional states such as Egypt, is perceived by Greece as a sign of Ankara’s revisionist ambitions in the Mediterranean.

In September 2025, Ankara sought to build on its 2019 maritime agreement with the Tripoli authorities by attempting to persuade eastern Libya’s government to accede to—and formally join—the same deal.

Now, Saleh is urging Libyan authorities to enter multilateral talks with Egypt, Greece, and Turkey to reach a conclusive settlement on economic rights in the gas-rich Eastern Mediterranean. These statements followed Saleh’s meetings with Greek Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament Nikitas Kaklamanis and Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis in Athens on December 4 and 5, in which Saleh heard Greek concerns about the 2019 demarcation. Saleh expressed reservations over Greece’s maritime claims extending from Crete, due to its proximity to the Libyan coast, and stated that Libya will pursue an agreement in self-interest rather than in alignment with Turkey or Egypt and Greece.

Both Athens and Cairo oppose the Libya-Turkey maritime deal on the grounds that it infringes on neighbors’ waters and gives Turkey a favorable position for natural gas extraction. Kaklamanis previously issued a public statement on December 4, urging that the maritime deal “must not be ratified by the Parliament of Libya.” On December 12, Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi in Cairo to begin maritime demarcation talks outside of Turkish auspices. The Egypt-backed LNA is one of the eastern Libyan entities that is in conflict with Tripoli, aligned with the House under the former Tobruk government.

Senior Turkish government officials have not yet released official statements on Saleh’s remarks or his visit to Athens. However, the Turkish state media outlet Anadolu Agency reported on an official parliamentary statement from Libyan Deputy Speaker Mosbah Douma that criticized Greek opposition to the maritime deal on December 8. According to the statement, Douma deemed Kaklamanis’s call to reject the deal an “interference in Libya’s internal affairs.” On December 22, Turkey’s parliament extended the Turkish military’s deployment in Libya to January 2028, citing a need to “eliminate attacks that may be directed against Türkiye’s interests in Libya by illegitimate armed groups and terrorist organizations.”

William Doran is an intern at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he contributes to its Turkey Program  and Center on Economic and Financial Power. You can follow Sinan on X @sinanciddi.