Bloomberg: East Libya Lawmakers Eyeing Vote on Maritime Deal With Turkey

A Bloomberg report on Thursday has lawmakers in eastern Libya-based house of representatives ready to vote to ratify a controversial 2019 MoU penned between the rival but internationally recognized Tripoli-based government and Turkey.

That agreement generated Greece’s stern reaction, irked other regional countries and eventually earned disapproval by the EU as a whole, as it essentially ignored the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and tried to “erase” every inch of Greek island territory in the Aegean and the large island of Crete – ostensibly to delimitate maritime zones between two countries that do not face each other directly.

If accurate, the development would mark a significant rapprochement between east Libya’s de facto ruler, Gen. Khalifa Haftar, and Turkey, as the latter has backed the rival Tripoli government, including with military assistance.

The Bloomberg article, which was widely reproduced, quotes sources it identified as “people familiar with the matter.”