Erdoğan on the Turkish-Libyan memorandum: the EU’s reactions have “no legitimate justification”, and he expects respect for the “common will” of Turkey and Libya

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on Monday, October 26, about the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum, in statements after the cabinet meeting at the presidential complex in Ankara. The Turkish president called the reactions to the ratification of the agreement baseless, singling out that of the European Union. The text of the remarks was published by the Turkish Presidency.

“The reactions expressed after the ratification of the memorandum, first of all that of the European Union, have no legitimate justification,” he said. Ankara, he added, has a “very clear” policy for the Eastern Mediterranean: it does not seek, “if I may say so”, to “score a goal” against anyone, but only to protect its rights and interests in its maritime zones of jurisdiction. He said Turkey favours addressing disputes by peaceful means and resolving them through dialogue with all coastal states, and that it expects the same “constructive will” from everyone, starting with the EU.

In the last part of his remarks Erdoğan turned against aggressive statements. “Aggressive rhetoric detached from reality benefits no one,” he said, noting that Turkey is not a country that pays attention to such rhetoric and shapes policy on that basis, and that “the only compass” in its politics and foreign policy is Turkey’s interests. He added that the country never hesitates to do what is right and beneficial for Turkey and the Turkish nation, “even if it has to pay a price”. He closed the point with a direct appeal: “I remind once again those who try to exclude Turkey from the Eastern Mediterranean that we expect them to respect the common will of our country and Libya.”

A little earlier in the same speech the Turkish president had referred to Libya. He said Turkey no longer wants to see discord “either in Libya or in any other Islamic land”, that “God willing” this wish will become reality in Libya too, and that it will continue the dialogue with all actors. The Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications also posted a video of the statements.

The legal reality

The statements come after the reactions to the ratification. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas had told Hakan Fidan that the memorandum violates the sovereign rights of third states, while the Turkish Defence Ministry had answered Athens and Brussels that the “unilateral assessments of third parties” have no legal force. The EU and its member states consider the memorandum null and void and without legal effect for third states.

The same day, at the United Nations, Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE and the EU stated in a joint declaration that the 2019 memorandum is “null and void” and cannot produce legal effects for third states.