Egypt condemns deals inked between Turkey, Libya PMs

Egypt condemns the signing of two memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the Turkish and Libyan prime ministers on maritime borders and security, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

“The two memorandum of understanding have no legal effect, they cannot be officially recognised in light of the Skhirat Agreement’s Article 8, which stipulates that the [Libyan] government or the cabinet, not the prime minister, have the authority to sign international agreements,” the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

Earlier on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognised government Fayez Al-Serraj signed two MoUs on security and maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean.

“It is well known that the current Libyan cabinet lacks ministers and representation of different Libyan regions, and thus the role of the prime minister is limited, and so making agreements with other countries is considered a blatant violation of the Skhirat agreement,” the ministry said.

“These two agreements do not have any effect or impact on the rights of the countries on the Mediterranean or maritime borders in the Mediterranean region,” the ministry added.

The foreign ministry called on the international community to oppose this “negative move,” which comes at a critical time amid international efforts to facilitate a comprehensive solution to the Libyan crisis in a way that protects the country’s unity and restores its national institutions.

The ministry also expressed Egypt’s concern over how such agreements could impact the Libya talks in Berlin.

Talks with the foreign ministers of Greece and Cyprus

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoury discussed on Thursday the signing of the MoUs in phone calls with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias and Cypriot FM Nikos Christodoulides.

Shourky and his counterparts agreed that the MoUs have no legal standing and that PM Saraj exceeded his authority as prime minister and violated the Skhirat Agreement.

They also agreed that these agreements will not affect the countries of the Mediterranean in any way.

Source: Ahram Online