Greece and Egypt Call Turkish-Libyan Gas Deal ‘Illegal’

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)
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Greece and Egypt Call Turkish-Libyan Gas Deal ‘Illegal’

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, hold a joint press conference, at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (AP)

Egypt and Greece on Sunday said a deal allowing Turkish hydrocarbon exploration in Libya's Mediterranean waters was "illegal" as Athens said it would oppose it by all "legal means".

On Monday, Türkiye said it had signed a memorandum of understanding on exploration for hydrocarbons in Libya's seas with the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU)

"This agreement threatens stability and security in the Mediterranean," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in Cairo, where he met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

The deal follows an agreement Türkiye signed three years ago with Tripoli that demarcated the countries' shared maritime borders.

Greece, Egypt and Cyprus believe the 2019 agreement violates their economic rights in an area suspected to contain vast natural gas reserves.

"We will use all legal means to defend our rights," Dendias added.

He said Tripoli "does not have the necessary sovereignty over this area", and that the agreement is therefore "illegal and inadmissible".

Shoukry charged that the mandate of the authorities in Tripoli has "expired" and that "the government of Tripoli does not have the legitimacy to sign agreements".

A rival Libyan administration in the war-torn country's east -- which since March has been attempting to take office in Tripoli and also argues the government's mandate has expired -- has rejected the accord.

Monday's deal builds on an agreement signed between Ankara and a previous Tripoli-based administration in 2019, at the height of a battle for the capital after eastern-based military chief Khalifa Haftar attempted to seize it by force.

The delivery of Turkish drones to Tripoli-based forces shortly afterwards was seen as crucial in the victory over Haftar.

The question of rights to Libya's vast hydrocarbon resources has become more urgent this year as global energy prices have soared.

The European Union has denounced the 2019 maritime border deal, while France has said the recent agreement was "not in accordance with international law".



Syrian Government Denies its Forces Preparing to Redeploy to Sweida

FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
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Syrian Government Denies its Forces Preparing to Redeploy to Sweida

FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo

Syria's interior ministry spokesperson said on Friday that government forces were not preparing to deploy to Sweida Province, the state news agency reported.

Noureddin al-Baba denied a Reuters report citing an interior ministry media officer as saying security forces were preparing to redeploy to Druze-majority Sweida city to quell fighting involving Bedouin tribes and the Druze.

A fragile truce was holding in Syria's south on Friday after a ceasefire announced on Wednesday briefly ended days of fighting that began when Bedouin and Druze fighters clashed in Sweida province in southern Syria, prompting the Syrian government to send in troops.

Syrian troops withdrew from Sweida after the truce was announced but clashes resumed late on Thursday.

Israel's military carried out new attacks in Sweida province overnight.

Israel has said it would not allow Syria's government to deploy troops to the south.