EU Rejects GNA’s Agreement with Turkey

Government of National Accord leader Fayez al-Sarraj and the EU diplomats. Photo: Presidential Council
Government of National Accord leader Fayez al-Sarraj and the EU diplomats. Photo: Presidential Council
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EU Rejects GNA’s Agreement with Turkey

Government of National Accord leader Fayez al-Sarraj and the EU diplomats. Photo: Presidential Council
Government of National Accord leader Fayez al-Sarraj and the EU diplomats. Photo: Presidential Council

European ambassadors to Libya have rejected a controversial deal struck by the Libyan Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj, with Turkey last year.

The diplomats on Saturday held meetings with senior Libyan officials and stressed the importance of a political solution to the current crisis.

The ambassadors of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the charges d'affaires of Hungary, the Netherlands, and Poland, together with the ambassador of Norway, held joint meetings in Tripoli with Sarraj, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Siala, and Chairman of the National Oil Corporation Mustafa Sanallah, according to a statement issued by the EU Delegation to Libya.

The statement said that the Turkey-Libya maritime deal signed in November 2019 "does not comply with the Law of the Sea and cannot produce any legal consequences for third states."

The envoys underlined the importance of engaging fully in all tracks of the UN-led process to reach a permanent and sustainable ceasefire agreement, the lifting of oil blockade, and the resumption of political dialogue, it said.

“In our meetings today in Tripoli, we reaffirmed that the EU is united behind the Berlin process as the only option to put an end to the Libyan crisis and the suffering of Libya's civilian population, and to avoid further destabilization in Libya and in the region.”

"There can only be a political solution to the current crisis, which would take the country towards parliamentary and presidential elections," the statement said.

“The EU, as it did recently with five new sanction listings, is ready to take restrictive measures against those who undermine and obstruct work on different tracks of the Berlin process including on the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya, as well as those who work against ongoing attempts to reform the security authorities, continue to plunder state funds or commit human rights abuses and violations all over the country,” it added.



Sisi, King Abdullah Agree that Gaza Should Be Rebuilt Without Displacing Palestinians

Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
TT

Sisi, King Abdullah Agree that Gaza Should Be Rebuilt Without Displacing Palestinians

Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
Palestinians travel from the southern Gaza Strip towards the north following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim Corridor, central Gaza Strip, 12 February 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II said that Gaza should be rebuilt without displacing Palestinians, Egypt's presidency said in a statement reporting a phone call between the two on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump has continued to push for a plan to resettle the Palestinian population to both Egypt and Jordan, a proposal both countries have rejected repeatedly.

King Abdullah rejected any mass displacement of Palestinians after meeting with Trump on Tuesday.

During the meeting at the White House, Abdullah volunteered to accept up to 2,000 children from Gaza who have cancer or otherwise require medical treatment.
But in a post on X after the meeting, he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank," adding that it was a "unified Arab position.”

The Palestinians also reject Trump's plan, which they view as an attempt to forcibly displace them from part of their homeland.