Greece has threatened to expel the Libyan ambassador to the Accord government if it does not submit a copy of a memorandum of understanding signed by his country with Turkey on the demarcation of the maritime border between the two countries; Egypt and Cyprus have also condemned this agreement.
Greek media said Athens did not intend to withdraw recognition from the internationally recognized Libyan Accord government, but would raise the issue on the sidelines of meetings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
She added that Greece considers that it is not legally bound by any Turkish-Libyan understanding, because this is contrary to reality geographically because of the Greek island of Crete between the Turkish and Libyan coasts.
The situation comes amid mounting tensions between Greece and Turkey over Turkish gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean off Cyprus.
The Cypriot Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday that there is no legal value of the memorandum of understanding signed by the Turkish and Libyan sides last Wednesday during a visit by the head of the Libyan National Accord government to Turkey during which he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The statement added that the Turkish-Libyan memorandum of understanding could not affect the rights of Cyprus and other riparian countries.
Before that, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry described the Turkish-Libyan memorandum as having no legal effect, considering that the political agreement "Skhirat" authorizes the entire Libyan Prime Minister Council - not the President of the Council alone - to conclude international agreements.
The ministry said that the agreement does not bind any party, and does not affect the system of delimitation of maritime borders in the Mediterranean because it is illegal, as it put it. Greece, Cyprus and Egypt oppose Turkish gas exploration on the coast of northern Cyprus.
The Turkish presidency said last Tuesday that the governments of Turkey and Libya signed two memorandums of understanding: the first on security and military cooperation between the two countries, and the second on the sovereignty of the maritime areas aimed at protecting the rights of the two countries stemming from international law.
Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga said the agreement was aimed at maintaining security and protecting Libya's sovereignty, and strengthening the Wefaq government's capacity to combat terrorism, irregular migration and crime, as well as developing security and training systems.
Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Sayyala also said the agreement covered the protection of the maritime rights of Libya and Turkey under international law.