EGYPT · EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
Key Facts
- —The country Egypt is the most populous Arab country, with over 100 million people, and a Mediterranean gas producer.
- —What happened On Wednesday 21 October 2026 Egypt’s Foreign Ministry rejected the Libya Turkey sea memorandum that Libya’s eastern parliament ratified on 20 October.
- —Egypt’s words The ministry called the 2019 memorandum absolutely null and said it clearly infringes Egypt’s sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
- —The deal Turkey and Libya’s then Tripoli government signed the memorandum on 27 November 2019 to draw sea areas in the Mediterranean between their coasts.
- —The warning Cairo said it reserves the right to protect its rights under international law and to confront any attempt to violate them.
- —The US angle US companies such as Chevron work in Eastern Mediterranean gas, and Washington counts Egypt, Greece and Turkey among its partners or allies.
- —Still open Egypt named no step beyond the statement, and Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli government had not answered when the statement came out.
Egypt rejects Libya Turkey maritime deal ratified by eastern Libya on Tuesday 20 October, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday 21 October. Cairo called the 2019 memorandum null and a clear breach of its sovereign rights at sea.
For US readers, the dispute matters because the waters hold gas that Egypt and US companies depend on. Greece answered the vote on the same day, and Egypt now joins it in rejecting the deal publicly.
What Egypt’s Foreign Ministry Said
The ministry’s statement, carried by the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm at 16:44 Cairo time, voiced Egypt’s firm rejection of the ratification. It called the 2019 memorandum, signed by Libya’s then Tripoli leader Fayez al-Sarraj and Turkey, absolutely null.
Cairo said the text breaks the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the treaty that sets rules for sea zones. It also said the ratification has no legal effect for Egypt.
A Warning Backed by Old Objections
The ministry reminded readers that Egypt already objected firmly to the memorandum when it was signed in 2019. Egypt rejects Libya Turkey steps of any kind that cut across its declared maritime borders.
Egypt added that it reserves the right to protect its rights under international law and to confront any attempt to violate them. The statement named no court, talks or other concrete step.
What Libya’s Parliament Approved
Libya’s House of Representatives, the eastern parliament, voted unanimously on Tuesday 20 October to approve the memorandum, as the Rio Times reported. It also repealed two 2020 resolutions that had rejected the Turkish memoranda and cut ties with Ankara.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry called the memorandum illegal, null and void the same day. Egypt rejects Libya Turkey ties at sea a day later, giving the vote a second critic.
Why the Sea Border Matters to Egypt
Egypt has drawn its own northern sea limits and signed a partial border deal with Greece in August 2020. Egypt rejects Libya Turkey lines because it treats them as an attempt to cut across waters it claims.
Those waters sit near Egypt’s offshore gas fields, including Zohr, the giant field run by Italy’s Eni. Egypt’s gas output fell from about 59 billion cubic metres in 2023 to about 42 billion in 2025, as the Rio Times explained.
What It Means for US Readers
American firms such as Chevron and APA work in Egyptian and Eastern Mediterranean waters, so a harder border fight raises legal risk for drilling plans. Egypt bought over 90% of its imported liquefied gas from the United States in 2025, according to the same guide.
Greece and Turkey are NATO allies, and Egypt is a long-standing US security partner. A dispute that pulls all three into one argument over the seabed complicates Washington’s push for calm in the region.
The Pound and the Gas Bill
The Egyptian pound trades at about EGP 54.5 per US$1, so each imported gas cargo costs Egypt more in local money. Falling home output is why Egypt buys liquefied gas abroad, as the Rio Times covered when Eni started a new Western Desert gas hub.
Bond investors watch because Egypt expects its last 1.5 billion euros (about US$1.7 billion) of EU loan money by the end of 2026. A quarrel at sea has not touched that payment so far.
What Is Not Known
Egypt has not said whether it will take the dispute to a court, to the United Nations or to talks with Greece and Cyprus. Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli government had not answered the statement when it was published.
Neither the House of Representatives nor Ankara has said how the memorandum would be put into effect on the water. It is also open whether any company will change its plans in the disputed zone.
More: Egypt news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Egypt reject Libya Turkey maritime deal?
Egypt rejects Libya Turkey lines because it says the 2019 memorandum is null. It says the text infringes its sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. It says the text also breaks the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
When did Egypt make its statement?
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued it on Wednesday 21 October 2026, a day after Libya’s eastern parliament ratified the memorandum.
What is the Libya Turkey maritime deal?
It is a memorandum of understanding signed on 27 November 2019 by Turkey and Libya’s then Tripoli government. It sets sea areas in the Mediterranean between the two coasts.
Does the statement mean Egypt will act against Turkey or Libya?
Egypt rejects Libya Turkey steps publicly, and it said only that it reserves the right to protect its rights under international law. It announced no legal case, talks or other action.
How could this affect US companies?
US firms such as Chevron and APA operate in Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean. A sharper sea-border dispute could raise legal and political risk for seismic surveys and drilling.
Sources: Al-Masry Al-Youm (Egypt), Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement, 21 October 2026; Youm7 (Egypt), Foreign Ministry statement, 21 October 2026; Al-Ahram Gate (Egypt), Foreign Ministry statement, 21 October 2026; Rio Times, Libya Turkey maritime deal, 20 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief