Cyprus House of Representatives unanimously condemns the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum and asks the EU for restrictive measures against Turkey

The House of Representatives of Cyprus is sending a unanimous message to Ankara and Brussels. Its plenary approved, under the urgent procedure, a resolution condemning the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum and its ratification by Libya’s parliament, while asking the European Union to take measures against Turkey.

The text was tabled on behalf of DIKO by party leader Nikolas Papadopoulos and MP Christiana Erotokritou, and was approved unanimously on Thursday, October 22, with 44 votes in favour. House President Annita Demetriou said the resolution sends an important message of unity and determination.

What the resolution says

At the centre of the resolution is the decision of Libya’s MPs to ratify the memorandum on the delimitation of maritime zones signed by Ankara and Tripoli in 2019. The Cypriot MPs condemn it “unequivocally”, noting that it contravenes the Law of the Sea, ignores the sovereign rights of third states and attempts to create faits accomplis in the Eastern Mediterranean. Approval by the Libyan parliament, it stresses, does not cure the illegality of its content and cannot produce legal effects against third countries, among them EU member states.

The resolution is not limited to Libya. It also condemns Turkey’s “systematic effort” to impose unilateral and revisionist claims in the region, which, in the House’s view, undermines international legitimacy, security and stability. For that reason it calls on the EU Council to examine and approve without delay specific, proportionate and effective restrictive measures against Turkey, on the basis of European and international law. It also expresses full solidarity with Greece and a commitment to defend the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Cyprus and Greece on the basis of international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Diplomacy on a parallel track

Nicosia is also moving at the diplomatic level, having already sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Guterres on the memorandum. Demetriou herself sent, dated October 21, a démarche letter to the presidents of parliaments and international parliamentary organisations, among them European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. “The ratification of the ILLEGAL Turkish-Libyan memorandum in no way legitimises a baseless, unlawful and invalid agreement,” she wrote, asking parliaments for coordinated initiatives and pressure on Turkey “to abandon its expansionist claims”. For Cyprus, she added, as an island state and the EU member closest to the region, the development is of particular concern.

The resolution was also in the House President’s bag in Athens on Friday, October 23. At her meeting with Giorgos Gerapetritis she briefed the Greek foreign minister on the resolution and the letter initiative, while with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis they agreed on intensive efforts for the memorandum to be condemned in all the forums in which the two countries take part, including the European People’s Party.