21.10.2026 16:31
The approval of the maritime jurisdiction areas agreement between Türkiye and Libya by the Libyan House of Representatives has caused reactions in Greece. Retired Vice Admiral Ioannis Egolfopoulos, who harshly criticized the Athens government live on air, stated that steps were not taken in time in the face of developments and said, "We deserve this fate." Touching on relations with Libya as well, Egolfopoulos expressed his reaction with the words, "They sold us out."
The approval by Libya's House of Representatives of the maritime jurisdiction areas agreement signed between Turkey and Libya has sparked debate in Greece. Following the decision taken despite the Athens government's attempts to block the agreement, Greek Vice Admiral Ioannis Egolfopoulos argued that the government failed to manage the process correctly. The retired vice admiral, who made harsh criticisms on a live broadcast, said, “We deserve this fate; no one in our country lifted a finger.”
SOMETHING WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN
Retired Vice Admiral Ioannis Egolfopoulos, appearing as a guest on Greece's Action 24 channel, stated that developments regarding the Turkey-Libya agreement could have been predicted in advance.
Arguing that the Athens government failed to evaluate the signs it had, Egolfopoulos said the following:
“We had so many indications that something was about to happen. First of all, the parliament speaker changed. Mrs. Bakoyanni had already said earlier, ‘Friends, something is about to happen here,’ and made statements. Egypt came out and half-heartedly said, ‘You know, something is going wrong here,’ and contacted Haftar. The previous day, Netanyahu established contact with Haftar. These were known things.”
Stating that these contacts were important signs for Greece, Egolfopoulos said the government did not take timely diplomatic steps in the face of these developments.
WE DESERVE THIS FATE; NO ONE LIFTED A FINGER
The retired vice admiral, noting that Greece should use its relations with eastern and western Libya more effectively, criticized Athens for merely issuing statements.
Egolfopoulos argued that the government should have acted earlier on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas with Libya, and said:
“We deserve this fate; no one in our country lifted a finger. The government should have gotten up and gone to Libya. They say, ‘We have good relations with both sides, and we are negotiating the delimitation of maritime areas.’ There are concrete decisions on the table. It should have left here and gone to Europe 20 days ago. It should have made other moves.”
The retired vice admiral claimed that Greece was late in diplomatic initiatives and was unprepared for the developments.
WHAT HAPPENED TO US IS MUCH WORSE
Egolfopoulos also touched on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the region and questioned whether Greece raised the Libya issue in its talks with Washington.
Reminding that Rubio was in the region a week ago, Egolfopoulos said, “Rubio came. He was here a week ago. Did they tell him anything? If they did and could not make him listen, then what has happened to us is much worse.”
WE ARE SITTING WITH OUR EYES CLOSED
Egolfopoulos also assessed Turkey's policy on maritime jurisdiction areas and argued that Greece cannot achieve results with objection statements alone.
The retired vice admiral, stating that the Athens government must take concrete initiatives, reacted with these words:
“We cannot sit here with our eyes closed and say, ‘We made a statement; we find this unacceptable.’ What is it that is unacceptable? Is it the Turks delimiting us and saying, ‘This is how I want it’?”
WE SENT SHIPS TO LIBYA, BUT THEY SOLD US OUT
Egolfopoulos also drew attention to Greece's past cooperation with Libya and criticized his country's work in diplomacy and intelligence.
The retired vice admiral, saying that despite the support provided to Libya, the expected result was not achieved, continued his statement as follows:
“We sent ships to Libya, donated patrol boats, but they sold us out. Who in our country is doing what? Did they not have intelligence? A whole country feels humiliated. Those here have no idea about the world. Suddenly we hear someone come out and say, ‘We are in shock.’ What are you shocked about?”
LIBYA'S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROVED THE AGREEMENT
Libya's House of Representatives unanimously approved the memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and Libya's Government of National Accord in 2019, which regulates the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean.
In a statement by the House, it was reported that the decision taken in 2020 rejecting the approval of the memoranda signed between the two countries was also unanimously annulled.
The statement included the following:
“The House of Representatives also unanimously annulled House of Representatives Decision No. (1) dated 2020, which rejected the approval of two memoranda of understanding signed between the Government of National Accord and the Turkish government.”
WHAT IS A MARITIME JURISDICTION AREA?
Maritime jurisdiction areas refer to the areas where coastal states exercise sovereignty or sovereign rights on specific matters at sea.
Areas with different legal statuses, such as territorial waters, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone, are important for the exploration and exploitation of natural resources, fisheries, energy activities and the protection of the marine environment.
In the event that maritime jurisdiction areas overlap between countries whose coasts face each other or are adjacent, delimitation can be carried out through agreements or other peaceful methods within the framework of international law.