Libya’s maritime deal with Turkey may be the key to reunification

The 2019 Libya-Turkey maritime demarcation agreement sets out a maritime boundary between Libya and Turkey. It was negotiated between Ankara and the then-Tripoli-based Government of National Accord. The deal matters because maritime boundaries shape how countries assert rights and interests at sea.

Turkey views the agreement as central to protecting its maritime interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece and Cyprus reject the deal and the claims connected to it. The agreement was paired with a military cooperation arrangement during the conflict over Tripoli.

For years, the House of Representatives in Benghazi refused to endorse it. On October 20, however, the House unanimously approved the agreement. That vote could improve Benghazi-Ankara relations, complicate Egypt's regional calculations, and support efforts to unify Libya's divided institutions.

October brought two linked changes in eastern Libya. On October 6, 104 members of the House of Representatives voted to unseat Agilah Saleh, its longtime speaker. On October 20, the same institution unanimously approved the controversial 2019 maritime agreement with Turkey.

The votes marked a major break with Saleh's previous position. Saleh had long opposed the Turkey-Libya deal and was closely aligned with Egypt, which also opposed it. The effort to remove him succeeded after receiving backing from Saddam Haftar.

The changes extend beyond parliamentary procedure. They show eastern Libya adopting a new approach to domestic politics and foreign relations. Benghazi is now seeking closer ties with Ankara while preserving diplomatic options, potentially helping negotiate a settlement between Libya's divided institutions.

The article describes Libya as divided for a decade and a half. Its political and security authority has been split between Tripoli in the west and Benghazi in the east. This division has survived conflicts, failed political processes, and international mediation.

In Benghazi, the House of Representatives supplied parliamentary authority and international legitimacy, while the Libyan Arab Armed Forces supplied military and territorial power. Khalifa Haftar commanded the LAAF, and Agilah Saleh led the House for more than a decade. In Tripoli, the Government of National Accord was the government involved in the 2019 Turkey agreements.

The current picture is changing. Saddam Haftar is reshaping eastern politics and foreign relations. Benghazi is exploring cooperation with Ankara and seeking a political and security settlement that could bring its power centers into Tripoli's institutions.

The dispute concerns competing claims over maritime space in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey considers the Libya agreement a central tool for protecting its maritime interests against Greece and Cyprus. Greece and Cyprus contest both the agreement and the claims built on it.

Egypt opposed the deal because it aligned with Turkey's wider expansion into Libya and challenged Cairo's regional calculations. Eastern Libya therefore reinforced its partnership with Egypt and other actors worried about Turkish ambitions. The House of Representatives refused for years to endorse the agreement.

The October vote changes that pattern. Benghazi now appears willing to accommodate Ankara's Eastern Mediterranean claims in exchange for possible Turkish support for a Libyan political and security settlement. The shift may complicate Egypt's alliances while giving Libya a broader set of diplomatic options.

The 2019 military cooperation agreement linked Turkey's security support to a maritime demarcation agreement with Libya. It was introduced with the then-Tripoli-based Government of National Accord while that government was facing the LAAF offensive to capture Tripoli.

Turkey intervened militarily in 2019 against the offensive conducted by the LAAF. The intervention helped the Tripoli-based government beat back the attack. This made the Turkey-Libya relationship a major dividing line between Tripoli and Benghazi.

The intervention also froze relations between Turkey and Benghazi. For years, the House of Representatives rejected the accompanying maritime deal, partly because eastern Libya aligned with Egypt and others concerned about Turkey's regional ambitions. The House's 2024 approval, as described in the article, could reopen relations.

Saddam Haftar is the son of Khalifa Haftar and deputy general commander of the LAAF. His rise is changing Libya's internal politics and external relationships. He now occupies a position that brings together forms of power once distributed among several actors.

Since 2023, his influence has extended beyond military affairs. He has been involved in state-building efforts, infrastructure development, humanitarian initiatives, and disaster responses. He also oversees the LAAF's Vision 2030 for military transformation and modernization. The article identifies his access to resources and diplomatic recognition as additional sources of influence.

That growing power helped him determine the October political shift. His backing enabled 104 House members to remove Agilah Saleh, whose alliance with Egypt and opposition to the Turkey deal had become less useful. Saddam's influence now supports closer Ankara ties and a possible national settlement.

Maritime boundaries are agreed lines separating countries' rights at sea. An exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, is a sea area where a coastal state generally has special rights to explore and use resources. These arrangements can affect energy access, shipping routes, fishing, and national security. These definitions come from established international practice; the article focuses on their political consequences.

The Libya-Turkey agreement illustrates the stakes. Turkey treats it as a central pillar for protecting its Eastern Mediterranean maritime interests. Greece and Cyprus contest the agreement and its claims, while Egypt has opposed the regional alignment behind it.

The October 20 approval therefore matters beyond Libya's parliament. It may strengthen Ankara's position, complicate Egypt's calculations, and alter relationships among Eastern Mediterranean states. For Benghazi, accepting the agreement may help secure Turkish support for a political and security settlement that reunifies Libya's institutions.