Greece is expected to respond in the coming days to two diplomatic notes from Libya’s Tripoli-based government, which has disputed maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The notes, submitted to the United Nations, cite a 2019 maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya that Greece and the European Union have long rejected as invalid.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs is intensively planning out its reply, which will include detailed maps countering Libya’s claims regarding sea zones. Greek officials are weighing whether to submit two separate responses or one comprehensive letter addressing both Libyan communications.
Notably, Greece has already secured the support of the European Union. In its June 26 conclusions, the European Council reaffirmed that the bloc does not recognize any legal consequences arising from the Turkey-Libya memorandum and that the agreement is incompatible with international law.
Athens’ strategy
Greece’s planned response will reaffirm its maritime zones, including bilateral maritime delimitation agreements with Italy (2020) and Egypt (2020), as recognized under international law. The Greek government will reject the Turkey-Libya deal as legally unfounded and will highlight inconsistencies and contradictions in Libya’s official submissions to the UN.
Athens is also coordinating closely with Egypt, which has submitted its own rejection of the Turkey-Libya agreement to the United Nations. Moreover, Greece is reaching out to Eastern Libyan officials, including House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh, to discourage any endorsement of the Turkey-Libya agreement by the eastern faction led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Escalation of Libyan crisis
The timeline below highlights key developments in the ongoing tensions between Greece and Libya.
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April 16, 2025: The Greek government formally announces its Maritime Spatial Plan, outlining the potential maximum extent of its maritime zones in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
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May 27, 2025: Libya submits its first diplomatic note (A/79/716) to the UN, disputing Greece’s rights in the Ionian Sea and challenging the status of the continental shelf south of Greece’s largest island, Crete.
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June 12, 2025: The Official Journal of the EU (Issue 3335) publishes Greece’s international tender for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete.
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June 20, 2025: Libya issues a second diplomatic note, condemning Greece’s decision to proceed with energy exploration in the contested maritime zone.
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June 25, 2025: Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) grants the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) exploration permits in four offshore blocks located south of what Athens considers the median line.
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June 26, 2025: The European Council includes in its conclusions a firm statement that the Turkey-Libya memorandum “produces no legal effects” for third countries and is inconsistent with international law.
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July 15, 2025: Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis visits Tripoli, where local officials express only a vague “readiness” to resume discussions, without offering concrete commitments.
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