The Republic of Cyprus expressed serious concern on the motives behind the Libyan move and the interests it its trying to serve, also citing in its letter to the UNSG, the timing of the Libyan parliament’s ratification.
The official document submitted by Cyprus UN Permanent Representative Maria Michael notes that ‘the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya must not fall prey to the geopolitical goals and ambitions of third states’.
Nicosia notes that Turkey is exploiting the current political and institutional circumstances in Libya (vis a vis territorial and factional division of east and west) in order to promote its own illegal maritime claims, aiming at ‘imposing an artificial maritime reality at the expense of third countries sovereign rights’.
Such actions, the Republic notes in its letter to Guterres, reflect ‘a deliberate policy of raising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean’, undermining international law and constituting a grave threat to regional peace, security and stability.
In plain terms, the Nicosia document points to the obvious fact that the memorandum violates international law and the International Law of the Sea as outlined in the relevant UN Convention, UNCLOS.
‘As such’, it is argued, ‘it cannot yield any legal outcomes or commitments for third parties or have any impact on the rights of any third state in maritime zones, including sovereign rights.
Cyprus further notes that Turkey is trying to delineate a maritime zone between two states that do not have adjacent or adjoining shores, thus creating ‘a non existent maritime border’ and ignoring the rights of coastal states, including the Greek islands.
