Ferhat Polat, a senior researcher and analyst specializing in North African geopolitics and security, wrote for AA Analysis about the strategic importance of the Libyan House of Representatives' approval of the maritime jurisdiction agreement signed with Turkey and its reflections on the geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean.
On October 20, 2026, the House of Representatives in the east of Libya approved the agreement on delimitation of maritime jurisdiction signed between Türkiye and Libya in 2019, which stands out as an important development in terms of Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics.
This decision of the House of Representatives, which is an important and legitimate institutional actor in Libya's political structure, also eliminates an important basis for the criticism directed at Türkiye because the agreement was not previously approved by the parliament.
With this decision, the agreement, which was discussed through the internal political legitimacy and approval process in the previous period, gains wider political acceptance by receiving the support of the legislative body in the east of Libya.
This development is important not only in terms of Türkiye-Libya relations, but also in terms of the political weight of the agreement, its implementation possibilities and energy competition in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The agreement signed between Türkiye and the then Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya on November 27, 2019 foresees the delimitation of the two countries' maritime jurisdiction areas in the Eastern Mediterranean. For Türkiye, the agreement is a tool that supports its theses regarding maritime jurisdictions and strengthens its hand in diplomatic negotiations on energy resources in the region.
At the time the agreement was signed, collaborations centered around the exploration of natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and their transportation to Europe were one of the important topics of regional competition. Some initiatives taking shape outside of Türkiye were increasing concerns that Ankara might be excluded from regional energy regulations. The EastMed pipeline initiative also made visible the discussions regarding energy routes designed outside Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
In this context, the Türkiye-Libya agreement enabled Türkiye to support its theses regarding maritime jurisdiction areas with a concrete bilateral agreement. For Ankara, the issue is not only access to possible hydrocarbon reserves, but also taking Türkiye's interests into consideration when shaping maritime borders and energy cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The approval of the House of Representatives broadens the agreement's political support within Libya and overcomes previously raised objections to the internal approval process. However, this decision does not automatically eliminate the objections of other regional actors, so it does not mean that maritime jurisdiction disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean have been finally resolved.
The strategic importance of the approval of the House of Representatives
At the time the agreement was signed, political actors in eastern Libya opposed the agreement, and the House of Representatives rejected the agreement in 2020. Therefore, the latest decision is an important turning point in terms of changing the previous attitude and expanding the political acceptance of the agreement in Libya.
While Ankara has established close relations with the Tripoli-based administration since 2019, it has also increased its contacts with political and military actors in Benghazi and the east of the country in recent years. Türkiye's diplomatic contacts with political actors in the east of Libya were important in establishing dialogue with circles that opposed the agreement in the past. Ankara's approach supporting Libya's political unity and territorial integrity, when evaluated together with the concrete results of security cooperation and bilateral agreements, can be seen among the factors that paved the way for the approval of the 2019 maritime jurisdiction agreement by the House of Representatives. This process reveals that Türkiye is making efforts to gain wider political acceptance of the agreement by maintaining its relations not only with the administration in Tripoli but also with the political actors in the east of Libya.
This latest development can be read as the result of Ankara's effort to develop a network of relations in its Libya policy that is not based on a single political center. Broader political support could facilitate steps to implement the agreement and increase opportunities for cooperation in energy, infrastructure and reconstruction. However, the approval of the House of Representatives does not mean that the institutional division in Libya is over.
What does it mean against regional architectures without Turkey?
Another important dimension of the agreement is related to energy and maritime jurisdiction regulations in the Eastern Mediterranean, which are being tried to be shaped without Türkiye's participation. The Türkiye-Libya agreement became one of the basic elements of the strategy developed by Ankara against efforts to be excluded from the regional equation.
The approval of the memorandum by the House of Representatives in eastern Libya means that Türkiye's theses regarding maritime jurisdiction areas have gained wider political support within Libya. This could increase the political and diplomatic costs of regional actors creating permanent arrangements without taking Türkiye into account.
From political approval to concrete cooperation
The Türkiye-Libya maritime jurisdiction agreement goes beyond symbolic diplomacy and offers concrete strategic and economic cooperation opportunities. Delimiting exclusive economic zones can provide a basis for developing cooperation on the exploration of yet unexploited hydrocarbon resources on the seabed, the security of maritime trade routes and the protection of strategic maritime transport lines.
For Türkiye, the agreement offers the opportunity to overcome the restrictions created by conflicting maritime jurisdiction claims in the Eastern Mediterranean and create a more predictable framework for energy exploration activities. Türkiye's research infrastructure, maritime capacity and diplomatic relations can play a role in advancing joint studies. However, the start of seismic research and possible drilling activities; It will depend on technical preparations, commercial considerations, legal conditions and regional developments.
For Libya, the agreement provides a cooperation framework that can support the country's claims on marine resources and contribute to its development of its capacity to explore and evaluate its own resources. Considering that Libya's institutional capacity and security structure are fragmented, cooperation with Türkiye can create opportunities in terms of technical support, logistics and capacity building. However, ensuring investment, infrastructure and stability is also of great importance in order to transform potential resources into economic value.
Security cooperation and the search for stability in Libya
Türkiye's relations with Libya are not limited to maritime jurisdictions and energy issues. Within the framework of the Military Training and Cooperation Agreement dated 2019, Türkiye cooperated with the Tripoli-based administration in the fields of military training and defense capacity development. This support was part of Libya's efforts to increase the capacity of its security institutions and respond to the country's security needs.
Türkiye's contributions in the military and security fields can be considered in the context of efforts to establish a more stable state structure in Libya. However, permanent stability cannot be achieved with external support alone. Integrating armed groups under national institutions, reforming the security sector and improving cooperation between institutions in the east and west of the country remain decisive for Libya's long-term stability.
Ankara's diplomatic contacts with both the administration in Tripoli and the political actors in the east of Libya contribute to the creation of a broader basis for political dialogue and cooperation across the country. On the other hand, one of the most critical issues in terms of ensuring permanent stability in Libya is the unification of the divided security structure under a common institutional roof and the functioning of security institutions in integrity throughout the country. Türkiye's approach supporting Libya's political unity and territorial integrity and its cooperation in the field of security are among the factors that can contribute to the advancement of this process. Integrating security institutions, establishing a common command and coordination structure, and eliminating the separation between political institutions will be decisive not only in terms of strengthening security but also in establishing permanent stability throughout the country. Moreover, achieving constitutional consensus and paving the way for credible elections remain the main issues that Libyan actors must agree on.
The decision of the Libyan House of Representatives is an important diplomatic development that supports Türkiye's Eastern Mediterranean policy and points to a new phase in Ankara's relations with the east of Libya.
The main issue for Türkiye is to improve its relations with Libya's different political actors and create sustainable channels for regional cooperation, while preserving its claims regarding maritime jurisdictions. For Libya, this development increases the opportunities to utilize marine resources and strengthens the basis for deepening economic relations with Türkiye. But lasting stability, beyond the maritime agreement, will depend on Libya making progress in political reconciliation, institutional integration and security reform.
