Turkish parliament speaker welcomes Libya's approval of maritime deal with Türkiye

Agreement ratified

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus on Wednesday welcomed the unanimous approval of the 2019 maritime jurisdiction agreement between Ankara and Tripoli, describing the move as a tangible demonstration of close bilateral ties during a phone conversation with his Libyan counterpart Salihin Abdunnebi. The Libyan House of Representatives ratified the memorandum during its first plenary session under Abdunnebi's leadership on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Turkish parliament.

Regional stability

Kurtulmus stressed that Türkiye had worked actively from the outset to promote stability in Libya, noting that the parliament's approval reinforced bonds of friendship between the two nations. He reaffirmed Ankara's support for UN efforts in the country and its determination to strengthen dialogue with both eastern and western Libya.

Parliamentary diplomacy

The Turkish speaker offered congratulations to Abdunnebi on his election to the speakership during the Oct. 6 parliamentary leadership elections and expressed gratitude for the condolence message sent following the devastating floods in Istanbul. Kurtulmus passed on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's greetings to members of the Libyan House of Representatives and signaled his readiness to host Abdunnebi in Türkiye at the earliest opportunity.

Cooperation reaffirmed

For his part, Abdunnebi extended his thanks to Kurtulmus and reaffirmed Libya's commitment to maintaining cooperation in a coordinated and secure fashion, according to the Turkish parliament's statement. The 2019 maritime deal delineates jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean between the two countries.