Technical study changed parliament’s position on the agreement
LIBYA – House of Representatives member Jibril Ouhida has said parliament’s unanimous ratification of the Libyan-Turkish maritime agreement, after rejecting it six years ago, followed an extensive technical study which concluded that it serves the higher national interest.
In an interview on a Libya Al-Ahrar TV news bulletin, which broadcasts from Turkey — followed and summarised by Al-Marsad — Ouhida said the earlier rejection had been for well-known political reasons, before a specialised technical committee was formed about a year later to study the agreement from its various angles and to contact the countries concerned.
Committee report and economic and maritime interests
He added that the committee had presented the outcome of its contacts and studies in a report that he described as valuable and as having set the record straight, and which convinced MPs that the agreement serves Libya’s maritime, economic and geopolitical interests at the current stage.
He said the study had shown, in his assessment, that the agreement would not create a problem with Egypt and might even bring it greater benefits than those achieved by its preliminary agreements with Greece.
He expressed hope that the ratification would mark a positive start in relations with Turkey and neighbouring countries, serving Libya’s economic, geopolitical and maritime interests.
Contacts to settle disputes and the position on Greece
He noted that the committee had contacted all parties and made attempts to address some of the existing disputes before submitting its full report, which concluded that the agreement was in Libya’s interest.
He added that Tunisia and Italy were not parties concerned by the agreement, arguing that Greece alone was the country affected by it and that it could turn to the International Court of Justice if it wished to object.
