On January 9, a court in Libya halted an energy exploration deal signed by the Tripoli government with Turkiye.
Oil and gas exploration were to be permitted under the agreement in waters claimed in part by Egypt and Greece, as well as fully by Turkiye and Libya.
The agreement sparked competition in the eastern Mediterranean and contributed to the political impasse in Libya between the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, the western capital, and a parliament in the eastern, which does not recognize the GNU’s authority.
The Tripolitan appeals court that issued the ruling did not specify the grounds for its decision, leaving the door open for the GNU to file its own appeal. The GNU did not immediately respond as a comment on the court’s decision.
The eastern-based parliament had rejected the agreement, claiming that the Tripoli government had lost its authority to negotiate with foreign powers. Egypt and Greece had also opposed the deal.
