European Council draft conclusions cite Turkey–Libya Memorandum as infringing on third countries’ rights

More specifically, the draft states the following: “The European Council examined the worrying situation in Libya and its possible implications for both European security and migratory flows. It reaffirms the European Union’s firm support for Libya and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to promote national reconciliation, institutional unity, and a transparent, inclusive dialogue based on Libyan ownership and consent. The European Council recalls that the Turkey-Libya Memorandum of Understanding on the demarcation of maritime zones in the Mediterranean violates the sovereign rights of third States, does not comply with the Law of the Sea, and cannot have legal consequences for third States.”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been in Brussels since yesterday afternoon to take part in today’s European Council meeting, following yesterday’s NATO meeting in The Hague. On the agenda of the European leaders’ discussion are the latest developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, migration, the situation in Moldova and the Western Balkans, as well as EU internal security issues and crisis preparedness.