US State Department on the Turkish-Libyan memorandum: ratification is “provocative and unconstructive”, position unchanged

The US State Department calls the ratification of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum a “provocative and unconstructive development”, making clear that the American position on the matter remains unchanged.

According to a statement from a spokesperson for the US State Department to Greek state broadcaster ERT and journalist Lena Argiri, the announcement of the ratification of the agreement on the delimitation of maritime zones between Turkey and Libya has raised tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“The announcement of the ratification of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum of understanding on the delimitation of maritime zones has increased tensions in the region and is a non-constructive and provocative development, and our position on this issue has not changed,” the State Department says.

Dialogue and good-faith negotiations

Washington’s stance carries particular diplomatic weight, as it records its opposition to the ratification of an agreement that Greece rejects as contrary to the international law of the sea. At the same time, the United States calls on all countries of the region to resolve their maritime-zone disputes through good-faith negotiations, avoiding actions that could lead to further escalation.

The statement makes particular reference to relations between Athens and Ankara, with American diplomacy recalling that Greece and Turkey are NATO allies and encouraging them to address their disagreements through bilateral dialogue. The State Department notes, finally, that peaceful settlement of disputes can open the way to commercial investment and research activity, to the benefit of the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean.

For earlier developments, see our reports on Greece’s letter to the UN Secretary-General and on the EU’s “strong regret” at the Libyan ratification.