Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has reacted to the recent debates over the Turkish-Libyan memorandum on the delimitation of maritime zones, expressing surprise at the intensity of political reactions, almost seven years after the signing of the agreement in 2019.
According to foreign media reports , Fidan stated that Ankara considers the memorandum legally valid and assessed that the recent reactions to it have taken unexpected proportions. He also referred to Greece's position, emphasizing that Athens is taking steps within the European Union to raise the issue, actions that he considered understandable from the Greek perspective.
At the same time, the head of Turkish diplomacy made it clear that Ankara has no intention of slowing down its commitment to stability in Libya, where it remains important to reach a political solution that would enable the unification of the country's state institutions and structures.
Turkey leaves open the possibility of a meeting with Egypt and Italy
Referring to Egypt's reservations regarding the maritime agreement, Fidan said that this issue has been discussed for years between Ankara and Cairo. He stressed that Turkey maintains a constructive stance and that a possible meeting between Turkey, Egypt and Italy would create space to discuss the parties' concerns and seek common solutions.
According to him, dialogue between these countries can contribute to reducing tensions and addressing issues related to Libya's political future and determining the interests of each party in the region. Fidan also focused on efforts to reunify Libya, emphasizing that the objective is to create a united state, with political institutions and military structures under a single national authority.
He underlined that one of the main challenges remains the integration of military forces currently operating in different parts of the country, so that they can be included in a single national army. The head of Turkish diplomacy hinted that diplomatic efforts are underway to advance this process and warned that there may be positive developments in this direction in the future.
The Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum continues to remain a sensitive issue in the Eastern Mediterranean, due to Greek objections and reservations expressed by Egypt, while Ankara's diplomatic efforts aim to maintain its influence in Libya and expand dialogue with key regional actors.
