Turkiye Proposes New Maritime Deal to Egypt Following Libya Vote

Turkey has renewed its offer to sign a maritime boundary agreement with Egypt, following a recent diplomatic shift in Libya. On Wednesday, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence stated that Egypt could acquire more than 15,000 square kilometers of maritime jurisdiction under such a deal. This figure is Ankara's own estimate and is compared against a potential future agreement with Greece, with whom Cairo signed a partial maritime deal in 2020.

The offer came eight days after Libya's eastern-based parliament in Tobruk reversed years of opposition to a 2019 maritime agreement between Turkey and the government in Tripoli. The accord defines maritime areas claimed by both nations. Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt have argued that it infringes on their sovereign rights, while Turkey maintains that it complies with international law.

Ankara has worked to repair ties with former rivals while navigating the dispute over sea boundaries. Turkey helped repel a 2019-2020 offensive on Tripoli by forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar. Since then, Ankara has widened relations with the eastern camp while keeping ties with Tripoli. A senior Turkish official noted that there has been no change in policy, only in the results produced.

High-level contacts have increased between the two Libyan camps and Turkey. Defence Minister Yasar Guler met Saddam Haftar in May, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met him in Benghazi on June 23. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met both Haftars in August. On October 6, eastern lawmakers replaced parliament speaker Aguila Saleh with Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi, who previously chaired the Libyan-Turkish parliamentary friendship committee.

Analysts view the engagement as a strategic gain for Turkey, making it harder to form Eastern Mediterranean arrangements that exclude Ankara. Tarek Megerisi of the European Council on Foreign Relations suggested that Saddam Haftar may hope Turkish influence will strengthen his political prospects. Libyan media reported that representatives of both camps held talks in Ankara on Friday regarding military unification, though no final agreement has been announced.

The vote has complicated matters for Egypt, which has traditionally backed the eastern leadership but opposes the agreement. On October 22, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis announced talks with Cairo on extending their 2020 partial deal eastwards toward Cyprus. Four days later, Egypt joined Greece, Cyprus, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union in a UN statement rejecting the Turkey-Libya accord.

Cairo and Ankara continue to rebuild ties despite the dispute. Turkish land forces commander General Metin Tokel began an official visit to Egypt on Monday, and a joint naval exercise is planned in Alexandria from November 4 to 9. A Turkish official stated that better relations allow differences to be discussed directly, adding that Ankara does not need the approval of unrelated third countries.