Appeal by 5 Libyan lawyers for the annulment of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum

Another move that puts a brake on Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plans for drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean has become known.

Five Libyan lawyers appealed to the competent court in Tripoli, Libya, against the recent memorandum, signed by the interim government of National Unity of Abdelhamid Dbeibeh and Turkey, in the field of hydrocarbons, which, as Athens emphasizes, “violates the sovereign rights of Greece , is a violation of international law and a deliberate escalation that undermines stability in the region.”

The annulment of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum is requested

The appeal requests, according to sigmalive, citing Al-Arabiya, the annulment of the memorandum, with a series of arguments, such as that the Dbeiba government is not authorized to conclude international agreements, the agreement was called a memorandum of understanding, but it is an economic oil agreement , the agreement violates several provisions of the oil law, most notably the lack of experience of Turkish companies in this field.

At the same time, the lawyers filed a request for a temporary injunction for its immediate suspension, because it “illegally usurped from the Libyan National Oil Company its exclusive jurisdiction over oil trade and contains texts that need different interpretations, causing serious damage that cannot be repaired if Turkey begins the implementation of the agreement”.

Administrative Judicial Department of #Tripoli Court of Appeal receives appeal against maritime agreement signed between #Dbeibeh's Government of National Unity and #Turkey for cancelling it. pic.twitter.com/Mv00Xca7Y5

— The Libya Update (@TheLibyaUpdate) December 4, 2022

“Untie the hands of Greece, Egypt and other countries”

This development, according to the Ottomanologist – Lawyer Dr. Dimitris Stathakopoulos, depending of course on its outcome, can automatically untie the hands of Greece, Egypt and other countries with a legitimate interest, which would seek the annulment of the memorandum.

As he said to Open channel, the preliminary memorandum is not considered invalid, only voidable, only if someone appeals, as in this case the Libyan lawyers, then it can be annulled.

The appeal was accepted as to the admissibility of the testimony and a determination of jurisdiction and issuance of a decision is awaited.

If it is annulled through the court system, Turkey can theoretically seek compensation from Libya for lost profits, claiming that it was in good faith when it signed and did not expect annulment.

Another “slap” from Cairo

A few days ago Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received another “slap” for the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum, this time from Egypt.

Indicative is a publication of the Egyptian newspaper, Al Ahram, which, among other things, states that “Egypt has rejected recent Turkish attempts to search for natural gas in areas in the eastern Mediterranean that Cairo recognizes as part of Cypriot and Greek waters.”