Two weeks after the new House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Salaheen Abdulnabi was elected to lead the legislature under Libyan National Army (LNA) Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar’s patronage, the HoR has voted to approve the 2019 Libya-Turkey maritime MoU.
On 19 and 20 October, HoR Spokesperson Abdullah Belhaq said the HoR held an official session under the leadership of the new Speaker Salaheen Abdulnabi. On 19 October, the HoR session began by focusing on the economic hardships faced by citizens. It then formed an HoR committee to receive input on the internal regulations and discussed a draft law on the establishment of the Libyan Authority for the Management of Emergencies, Crises, and Disasters.
On 20 October, Belhaq announced that the HoR had unanimously voted to adopt the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2019 between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Government of the Republic of Turkey regarding the determination of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean Sea. The HoR also voted unanimously to cancel HoR Resolution No. (1) of 2020 regarding the rejection of ratifying the two memoranda of understanding concluded between the GNA and the Turkish government, and HoR Resolution No. (6) of 2020 regarding severing political relations with the Republic of Turkey.
Several meetings in the run-up to the HoR session touched upon the Libya-Turkey maritime agreement, as it was expected that Abdulnabi would reintroduce the MoU for consideration.
On 15 October, during the third round of Egyptian-Greek consultations in Athens, Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Bassel Salah and Greek Political Director Sofia Philippidou agreed to closely coordinate on stabilizing Libya, supporting UN-led political processes, and promoting simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections. Both sides emphasized preserving Libya’s unity and sovereignty, rejecting foreign interference, and demanding the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries in line with UN resolutions. Furthermore, they reaffirmed their commitment to international law regarding maritime boundary delimitation.
The same day, the HSC Second Deputy Speaker Omar Bushah met with the Chairman of the Land and Sea Borders Committee at the GNU Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the issue of demarcating the Libyan maritime borders and its importance in protecting national sovereignty and preserving Libya’s maritime rights.
On 17 October, on the sidelines of a regional forum in Baghdad, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdeatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan discussed developments in Libya, stressing the importance of supporting the political process to end the state of division. The meeting also addressed coordination and consultation efforts between Cairo and Ankara on regional issues, and ways to support political solutions to crises and enhance stability in the region. Abdelatty also met with Government of National Unity (GNU) Minister of Foreign Affairs Taher al-Baour, exchanging views and assessments on the latest developments in Libya and regional developments of common interest.
On 18 October, Abdulnabi met with the Greek Consul General to Libya, Athanasios Anastopoulos. The meeting addressed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries with a focus on migration and cooperation. Anastopoulos pointed to the existing cooperation between the two nations in the areas of education, defense, and the training of the coast guard to combat illegal migration. The maritime MoU was not mentioned in the readout, but it seems likely it was discussed.
The High State Council (HSC) welcomed the ratification and while the GNU had not formally commented at the time of writing, GNU PM Dabaiba and key western leaders met with the Turkish intelligence chief the same day as the ratification.
At the time of writing, the GNU had not formally responded but it has always been the main Libyan backer of the 2019 MoU and was the signatory for the 2022 MoU.
On 20 October, while the HoR session was underway, GNU PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba received the Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin in Tripoli alongside his advisors Ibrahim Dabaiba and Walid al-Lafi. It is very likely they discussed the maritime MoU.
Informed sources report that Kalin also met with the Mahmoud Hamza, Military Intelligence Chief and 444 Brigade commander, Deputy Minster of Defence and 111 Brigade commander Abdussalam al-Zoubi, and Special Deterrence Force (Rada) commander Abdurrauof Kara.
The HSC issued a statement welcoming the HoR’s approval of the MoU ‘ based on its conviction of the importance of preserving Libya’s maritime rights, protecting its national interests, restoring vast areas that were threatened with loss, and enhancing its ability to benefit from its capabilities and resources in accordance with the relevant legal rules.’ However, the HSC also emphasized the importance of completing the relevant legal procedures and continuing coordination among the competent institutions to ensure the establishment of Libyan maritime rights and enhance opportunities for bilateral cooperation with Turkey.