Libya submits map of outer continental shelf boundaries up to Crete

This action mirrors Turkey’s own 2020 move, when it unilaterally submitted continental shelf boundaries to the UN based on the same MoU, disregarding Greece’s and Cyprus’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Libya now declares illegal the Greece-Egypt Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) agreement, Greece’s EEZ declaration in the Ionian Sea, and its Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) framework, attempting a broad challenge to Greek maritime zones, even in regions like the Ionian Sea and south of Crete—where Turkey has no geographical basis to intervene.

Like Turkey, Libya argues that the median line should be drawn between continental coasts only, and that islands do not automatically generate full maritime zones, claiming they should either be ignored or given reduced effect in boundary delimitation, based on the circumstances.

In the Note Verbale, Libya declares:

The Greece-Egypt EEZ agreement is illegal and infringes on Libya’s continental shelf.
The Greek EEZ declaration in the Ionian, published in the Government Gazette on April 18, 2025, is also illegal and violates both Libya’s continental shelf and fundamental principles of the Law of the Sea.
It fully rejects what it calls the “illegal and maximalist” claims of Greece and Egypt over maritime borders, as well as their offshore licensing rounds.
Libya also rejects Greece’s MSP, claiming it infringes upon Libyan maritime jurisdiction and its continental shelf in the Mediterranean.

Moreover, Libya states that any boundary delimitation must:

Respect Libyan national law (e.g., closing the Gulf of Sirte and ignoring islands).
Be based on the Turkey-Libya MoU.
Occur through negotiation under Article 33 of the UN Charter, including possible referral to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
However, the Note Verbale undermines this dialogue, since Libya insists on the inclusion and acceptance of the Turkey-Libya MoU in any legal or diplomatic process. It also denounces hydrocarbon exploration activities by foreign companies in Greek blocks southeast and south of Crete, and similar Egyptian actions, calling on both countries to cease all exploration and licensing until disputes are resolved.

By unilaterally submitting its continental shelf boundaries, Libya opens a new diplomatic front for Greece, jointly with Turkey attempting to box Greece into narrow maritime zones barely extending beyond its 6-nautical-mile territorial waters.

Libya’s formal stance—that dialogue must include recognition of the Turkey-Libya MoU—limits prospects for productive negotiations. At the same time, it highlights the critical need for close Greek-Egyptian cooperation, as Egypt also comes under fire from Libya, albeit over a much smaller maritime area than Greece.

Following meetings held by Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis with both Libyan factions, it is clear that the situation has entered a new phase, although maintaining communication channels with both Tripoli and Benghazi remains crucial.

The Libyan Note Verbale includes coordinates and a map of Libya’s claimed “outer limits” of the continental shelf, asserting:

The Turkey-Libya MoU, signed in November 2019 and registered with the UN, defines the maritime boundary between the two states. According to Libya, Greece and Egypt have no sovereign rights in the areas demarcated by the MoU.

Libya rejects the 2020 Greece-Egypt EEZ agreement as invalid, claiming it violates international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Libya condemns Greece’s hydrocarbon exploration, including:
Offshore permits since November 26, 2022
New surveys approved in April 2024

The Greek MSP plan announced on April 16, 2025, which, according to Libya, violates its sovereign rights in areas it claims jurisdiction.

Libya disputes Greece’s April 2025 Ionian EEZ declaration, calling it illegal since it allegedly extends into Libyan continental shelf areas.

Libya claims that the median line must be drawn between mainland coasts, asserting that Greek islands should not generate full maritime zones if they distort equitable delimitation.

The document details coordinates from east to west, based on the Turkey-Libya MoU and various ICJ rulings (Libya-Malta 1985, Libya-Tunisia 1982), asserting historic rights in the Gulf of Sirte and beyond.

Finally, Libya states it reserves all legal rights under international law over its seabed, subsoil