Egypt condemns signing of MoUs between Turkey, Sarraj on maritime jurisdictions

CAIRO – 29 November 2019: Egypt condemned the signing of two memoranda of understanding in security and maritime jurisdictions between Turkey and Libya Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, said Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez in a statement on Thursday.

“Egypt affirms that such memoranda possess no legal effect, as they cannot be recognized in light of the fact that Article 8 of the Skhirat Political Agreement on Libya, widely accepted by Libyans, defines the competences conferred to the Council of Ministers, expressly stipulating that the Council of Ministers as an entity – and not the President of the Council alone – has the power to conclude international agreements,” he said in the statement.

“It is well-known that the Council of Ministers’ membership is clearly incomplete, and that it currently suffers from a serious imbalance in the representation of the Libyan areas. Accordingly, the restricted role of the Prime Minister is limited to steering the Council’s affairs; all attempts to build legal arrangements with any other country comprise a serious breach of the Skhirat Agreement,” he added.

“The MoUs It have no implications on the rights of the riparian states of the Mediterranean Sea, and does not affect the maritime boundary delimitation system in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” he continued.

Egypt called upon the international community to face this ‘negative approach,” which coincides with Germany’s efforts to reach a comprehensive peaceful solution among the conflicting parties of Libya.

“In this regard, Egypt expresses its concerns over such negative developments affecting the Berlin political process,” Hafez said.