Libyan parliament approves maritime deal with Turkey

BENGHAZI, Libya — Libya's parliament has approved a maritime agreement with Turkey, according to social media posts citing lawmakers and a correspondent. The reports were published on Monday, 20 October 2026.

A post on Telegram by TRT Arabi said that two lawmakers told Reuters that the House of Representatives had approved the maritime agreement with Turkey. The same post said the vote also cancelled a boycott decision dating back to 2020. The post did not include the full text of the decision. TRT Arabi's post is unverified.

A separate post on Telegram by Al Jazeera Mubasher said that its correspondent reported that members of the House of Representatives ratified an agreement on demarcating maritime boundaries with Turkey. According to that post, the session took place in Benghazi. This post is also unverified.

Neither post included an official statement from the House of Representatives, the Libyan government or the Turkish government. Reuters' own report on the vote was not available in the source material. It is not clear from the posts how many lawmakers voted or what the vote count was.

The posts do not say when the agreement was signed or what areas of sea it covers. They also do not say how the boycott decision from 2020 relates to the maritime deal.

Background

Libya and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on maritime boundaries in November 2019. Libya's internationally recognised government in Tripoli signed the deal at the time. Greece, Egypt and other states objected, saying the agreement ignored the rights of third countries under the law of the sea.

The House of Representatives is based in eastern Libya and is aligned with the eastern-based authorities. The Tripoli-based government is led by a separate administration. The sources do not state whether the vote affects the position of either government on the 2019 agreement.

Libya has been divided between rival administrations in the east and west since 2014. The House of Representatives is the body that would need to approve an agreement of this kind for it to take effect in the east.