FM Fidan discusses Türkiye's maritime deal with rival Libyan leaders

Libya’s House of Representatives approved the Memorandum of Understanding on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas between Türkiye and Libya. The deal sets maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea. It matters because those boundaries affect control, exploration, and possible economic benefits at sea.

Fidan separately called Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Government of National Unity prime minister, and Saddam Haftar, the eastern-based Libyan National Army deputy commander. He thanked both men for the parliamentary adoption. Their involvement shows that support from Libya’s competing power centers is important for moving the agreement forward.

The agreement was signed in November 2019 but had not been implemented because Tobruk-based and Tripoli-based powers disagreed. The approval may clear a political obstacle to Turkish exploration. It could also intensify tensions with Greece, which says the agreement infringes its Mediterranean rights.

A maritime boundary is a line dividing countries’ jurisdiction at sea. A maritime jurisdiction area is the zone where a country can exercise specified legal and economic rights. These rights may include managing resources, approving exploration, and regulating activities in the water or seabed.

In this case, Türkiye and Libya agreed in 2019 to delimit their respective maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean Sea. The agreement was registered by the United Nations in October 2020. Its provisions also support Turkish hydrocarbon exploration within Libya’s territorial waters.

Such boundaries matter because different governments may draw or interpret them differently. Greece has opposed the Türkiye-Libya agreement, claiming it would infringe Greek rights in the Mediterranean maritime zone. The dispute therefore combines legal claims, national sovereignty, and competition over possible energy benefits.

The planned Turkish exploration effort covers four offshore blocks off Libya’s coast. Together, they span 10,000 kilometers, or 6,214 miles, of Libyan waters. That makes the project a large survey operation rather than a single-site investigation.

The Turkish Petroleum Corporation, or TPAO, signed a memorandum with Libya’s National Oil Corporation on June 25, 2025. Under it, TPAO will conduct a two-dimensional seismic survey. Seismic surveys gather underground information that can help identify geological structures and possible hydrocarbon deposits.

The collected data will be processed within nine months. The survey does not itself confirm that commercially usable oil or gas will be found. It is an initial technical step that could guide later drilling decisions. The agreement’s approval provides a political basis for carrying out this planned work.

Türkiye and Libya signed the maritime delimitation agreement in November 2019. Although the United Nations registered it in October 2020, the agreement did not become operational. The central problem was Libya’s internal political divide.

The article identifies disagreement between Tobruk-based and Tripoli-based powers as the reason implementation was prevented. These rival power centers did not share a unified position on the deal. Greece also lobbied Khalifa Haftar against it, arguing that the agreement would infringe Greek rights in the Mediterranean maritime zone.

The House of Representatives’ later approval changes the political situation described in the article. Fidan thanked both Dbeibah and Saddam Haftar after the vote, suggesting that engagement with both sides matters. The approval could help unlock implementation, although the article does not say that all objections or international disputes have ended.

The agreement permits Turkish hydrocarbon exploration within Libya’s territorial waters. This matters because offshore areas can contain oil or natural gas, and exploration can lead to future drilling and production. It also strengthens Türkiye’s practical involvement in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The two countries signed a hydrocarbon memorandum of understanding in 2022. It paved the way for Turkish companies to conduct seismic surveys and drilling operations. On June 25, 2025, TPAO and Libya’s NOC agreed on a two-dimensional seismic survey across four offshore blocks covering 10,000 kilometers.

The parliamentary approval could help make those activities possible after years of delay. However, the article describes strong regional opposition. Greece says the maritime deal infringes its rights, so exploration could increase diplomatic and legal tension. The article does not confirm that drilling or commercially successful discoveries will follow.

Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is the prime minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity. Saddam Haftar is deputy commander of the eastern-based Libyan National Army. They represent separate Libyan political and military power centers described in the article.

Fidan held separate phone calls with both men after Libya’s House of Representatives approved the maritime memorandum. He thanked each for the adoption. Speaking with both leaders recognized that the agreement involves more than one influential side within Libya.

Their separate centers matter because disagreement between Tripoli-based and Tobruk-based powers had prevented implementation since 2019. Approval by the House of Representatives may reduce that obstacle, but the article does not say the rival authorities have fully united. Their positions therefore remain important to whether Turkish exploration and other provisions can proceed.

Maritime boundaries divide sea areas between countries and can define where each government has legal and economic authority. Within such areas, a country may regulate activity and authorize exploration for resources such as oil and natural gas. The exact rights depend on the agreement or legal framework involved.

The Türkiye-Libya agreement illustrates this mechanism. It delimits their maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean Sea and includes provisions for Turkish hydrocarbon exploration in Libya’s territorial waters. The 2022 hydrocarbon memorandum then opened a path toward seismic surveys and drilling operations.

Disputes arise when countries draw different boundaries or claim the same waters. Greece says the Türkiye-Libya agreement would infringe its rights in the Mediterranean maritime zone. Because resource access and maritime control can bring major economic and strategic benefits, boundary disagreements can also deepen regional political tensions.