Mitsotakis Condemns Turkey-Libya Maritime Deal at UN Security Council

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, condemning a maritime border agreement between Turkey and Libya as blatantly illegal and null and void. Using a map to illustrate his point, Mitsotakis argued the deal is absurd because it ignores the existence of Greek islands, including Crete, and violates the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The dispute centers on the ratification of a 2019 agreement by Libya's eastern parliament, which Turkey now uses as a legal pretext to challenge Greek maritime activity. This occurs as a French survey ship prepares to resume work on an EU-backed undersea power cable linking Greece and Cyprus. While Turkey dismisses objections as legally baseless, Greece has secured a joint UN statement calling the deal void from the European Union, Cyprus, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. The United States characterized the ratification as provocative.

Beyond the Mediterranean, Mitsotakis called for an urgent international truce in the Black Sea following the sinking of a Greek-owned container vessel by naval drones. He also urged the European Union to increase naval assets for Operation Aspides to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks. Additionally, he reaffirmed Greece's support for economic sanctions against Russia to end the war in Ukraine, despite recent moves by U.S. President Donald Trump to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports.