Libya and Turkey Forge Offshore Energy Partnership Amid Regional Tensions
Libya’s National Oil Corporation has signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, paving the way for extensive offshore oil and gas exploration in Libyan waters.
The agreement was formalized in Istanbul by NOC Chairman Masoud Suleiman and TPAO Director Ahmet Türkoğlu. Turkish Petroleum will undertake comprehensive geological and geophysical studies across four offshore areas with strong exploration potential, including a two-dimensional seismic survey covering an estimated 10,000 kilometers.
The deal emerges amid renewed maritime tensions between Libya and Greece. Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity recently summoned the Greek ambassador to protest Athens’ “unilateral actions” in contested maritime zones, following Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ announcement of naval vessel deployments to international waters off the Libyan coast.
Both the GNU and Libya’s rival eastern-based administration have strongly objected to Greece’s recent international tenders for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete, arguing that parts of the designated areas fall within Libya’s undelimited maritime jurisdiction and sovereign rights.
Source: libyanexpress.com
