Greece reiterates criticism of Turkey-Libya deals
A day after the foreign ministers of Greece and Egypt met in Cairo over the contentious maritime and gas deals that regional rival Turkey signed with one of the two competing governments in divided Libya, Greece said it wants peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean.
In a press conference Monday, government spokesman Ioannis Oikonomou said Sunday’s talks between Nikos Dendias and Sameh Shukry focused on “the volatile situation in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean and the shared objective for a stable, prosperous and peaceful Libya for a stable eastern Mediterranean.”
The two ministers agreed that the Tripoli-based government does not have a mandate to sign deals regarding the future of the North African country’s foreign relations, Oikonomou said.
“Most important, it cannot award Turkey exploration rights in areas outside its sovereign jurisdiction,” he said.
Oikonomou said that the deals, which include the joint exploration of hydrocarbon reserves in Libya’s offshore waters and national territory, have met with opposition from the US State Department, the European Commission, as well as France and Germany.
