Libya’s Dbeibah says ready to address Egypt’s maritime concerns

The prime minister of Libya’s UN-recognised Government of National Unity told Egypt’s intelligence chief his government was ready to address Cairo’s concerns over Mediterranean maritime boundaries and economic waters, his office said on Saturday.

• Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and the intelligence chief Hassan Rashad discussed bilateral relations and coordination on matters of mutual interest during a phone call, the statement said.

• Egypt rejected on Wednesday a maritime boundaries agreement ratified by Libya’s eastern-based parliament involving Türkiye, saying the deal was null and void and would have no legal effect on Egypt.

• The Libya-Türkiye maritime deal was originally agreed in 2019 by Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tripoli.

• The rival eastern administration, under military commander Khalifa Haftar, withheld its approval for years.

• The agreement is part of a long-running dispute over maritime claims and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

• Greece, Egypt and Cyprus have opposed the Libya-Türkiye accord, saying it infringes their own maritime claims.

• Libya has been divided between Dbeibah’s UN-recognised government in Tripoli and eastern authorities aligned with Haftar.

• Egypt and Libya, which share a land border, have long-standing security and economic ties.