Egypt is pushing back hard on the Turkey-Libya maritime pact, taking its concerns directly to Libyan Prime Minister Abdu...

Egypt is pushing back hard on the Turkey-Libya maritime pact, taking its concerns directly to Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan got on the phone with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to manage the fallout. The dispute centers on a 2019 maritime memorandum between Turkey and Libya's former Tripoli-based government, which Libya's eastern parliament approved unanimously on October 20. Cairo rejected the agreement the very next day, calling it legally void and warning that it infringes on Egypt's sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nader Zaki went further, dismissing the entire memorandum as "ink on paper." Dbeibah spoke directly with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on October 24, pledging to resolve Cairo's concerns through dialogue. That came even as officials on both sides of Libya's internal divide welcomed the parliamentary vote, a rare moment of agreement in a country still split between rival administrations. Fidan and Abdelatty met in Istanbul on October 23. According to Egypt's account of the talks, Abdelatty made clear Cairo's rejection of the maritime memorandum and warned against any implementing measures that conflict with Egypt's declared boundaries. Fidan acknowledged the concerns and expressed support for continued consultations on Libya. Greece and Cyprus both condemned the Libyan parliament's decision as well. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on October 22 that Athens and Cairo were actively discussing extending their own 2020 maritime delimitation agreement eastward toward Cyprus. Egypt has since begun preparing a legal file on the Turkey-Libya pact while consulting with Greece, Cyprus and European partners. Turkey, meanwhile, pressed its case with Cairo directly. The Turkish Defense Ministry on October 28 reiterated an offer to negotiate a separate maritime boundary agreement with Egypt, claiming Cairo could gain jurisdiction over more than 15,000 additional square kilometers of the eastern Mediterranean compared with any deal it might reach with Greece. #EasternMediterranean #Greece...