Turkiye Renews Maritime Offer to Egypt After Eastern Libya Backs 2019 Accord

Turkiye has renewed its offer to sign a maritime boundary agreement with Egypt, a day after what it presents as a diplomatic gain in Libya. The move comes as Ankara works to repair ties with former rivals while a dispute over sea boundaries tests the limits of those reconciliations.

On Wednesday, Turkiye's Ministry of National Defence said Egypt could gain more than 15,000 square kilometres (5,790 square miles) of maritime jurisdiction under such a deal. That figure is Ankara's own estimate, and the comparison is with a possible further agreement with Greece, with which Cairo signed a partial maritime deal in 2020.

The offer followed by eight days a decision by Libya's eastern-based parliament in Tobruk to reverse years of opposition and approve a 2019 maritime agreement between Turkiye and the internationally recognised government in Tripoli. The accord delineates maritime areas claimed by both countries. Greece, Cyprus and Egypt say it infringes on their sovereign rights, while Turkiye maintains that it complies with international law.

Turkiye helped repel a 2019-2020 offensive on Tripoli by forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar, who leads the eastern government's military. Since then Ankara has widened its relations with the eastern camp while keeping its ties with Tripoli. A senior Turkish official told Al Jazeera: "There has actually been no change in our policy. Only the results it has produced have changed."

Contacts have been frequent. Defence Minister Yasar Guler met Saddam Haftar, Khalifa Haftar's son, in May. Intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met Saddam Haftar in Benghazi on June 23, and 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.

Galip Dalay of Chatham House called the engagement "a strategic gain for Turkiye", arguing that ties with both Libyan camps make it harder to form Eastern Mediterranean energy and security arrangements that exclude Ankara. Tarek Megerisi of the European Council on Foreign Relations said Saddam Haftar may hope Turkish influence will strengthen his own political prospects. Libyan media reported that representatives of both camps held talks in Ankara on Friday on unifying their military structures, but no final agreement has been announced. Anas El Gomati of the Sadeq Institute warned that "an elite bargain between two camps can leave out everyone beyond them."

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 Turkiye-Libya accord.

Even so, Cairo and Ankara continue to rebuild ties. 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. El Gomati said: "Egypt still has influence, but it no longer has a veto." The Turkish official said no formal four-country mechanism involving Turkiye, Libya, Italy and Egypt exists, though Fidan has discussed possible cooperation with Italy.

Analysts see limits to the breakthrough. Greece says the accord ignores the rights of its islands, including Crete, while Turkiye argues islands should not automatically carry the same weight as mainland coasts. Megerisi said the vote strengthens the agreement's domestic legal footing but does little to settle the wider dispute: "I think both sides are maximalist." It also does not clear the way for offshore energy exploration.

The Turkish official said better relations with Cairo allow differences to be discussed directly. "We can now discuss every issue with Egypt, and we will discuss this one too," the official said, adding that Ankara does not have to seek the approval of "unrelated third countries."