The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses concern over the signing of a "memorandum of understanding" between the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Libya and Turkey in the field of hydrocarbons on the basis of the illegal Turkish-Libyan "memorandum" of 2019.
The concern stems from the ever-worsening, escalating and destabilizing role that Turkey is playing in the region, seeking to create tensions, with actions that are contrary to International Law, the Law of the Sea and its individual aspects.
The Republic of Cyprus reiterates that the 2019 "memorandum" violates the sovereign rights of third countries and is contrary to the recognized principle of the Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary law on the rights of islands to the EEZ and continental shelf. Therefore, it is illegal, null and void, and does not produce, in any way, any legal effects against third countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to closely monitor developments on the matter, noting at the same time the public statements of the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, who highlighted the illegitimate nature of the "memorandum" making it legally and politically invalid.