Libya’s House of Representatives Speaker Salihin Abdunnebi said the agreement with Türkiye regulating Libya’s maritime jurisdiction areas does not harm the interests of other countries during a meeting in Benghazi with Italy’s consul general to Libya, Filippo Colombo, and his delegation.
"Libya can protect its own interests"
Abdunnebi said the maritime agreement signed with Türkiye regulates maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean. Describing the agreement as a sovereign decision by the Libyan state, Abdunnebi said, "This is a sovereign decision, and the Libyan state has the right to protect its own interests."
The speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives said Libyans were united on the agreement and stressed that it did not harm the interests of other countries.
Relations with Italy and reconstruction
Filippo Colombo congratulated Salihin Abdunnebi al-Ubaydi on his election as speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives and wished him success in his post. Colombo also emphasized the special nature of relations between the two countries and their peoples.
The meeting addressed the historic relations and common interests between Libya and Italy, as well as the economy, joint cooperation, the contribution of Italian companies to Libya’s reconstruction, and strengthening interparliamentary cooperation between Libya’s House of Representatives and the Italian Parliament.
House of Representatives unanimously approves maritime agreement
Libya’s House of Representatives unanimously approved on Tuesday the maritime agreement signed in 2019 between Türkiye and Libya’s Government of National Accord. The House also unanimously repealed its decision rejecting the ratification of the agreements in 2020 and its decision to sever political relations with Türkiye.
The agreement was signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Fayiz al-Sarraj, then Libya’s prime minister, on November 27, 2019, and entered into force on December 7, 2019.
Abdunnebi elected as new speaker
Salihin Abdunnebi al-Ubaydi became the new speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives on October 6. Abdunnebi succeeded Aguila Saleh, who had held the speakership for more than 12 years.
Support from Libya’s political parties
The House’s approval of the agreement was welcomed by the Government of National Unity in Tripoli, the government appointed by the House of Representatives in the east of the country, and Libya’s High Council of State.
Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the eastern Libya forces; Musa al-Koni, deputy chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council; and Khalid al-Mishri, former chairman of the High Council of State, also supported the decision.
As high-level visits between Türkiye and Libya continue, Ankara says it is pursuing a policy that supports Libya’s unity and strengthens dialogue with officials in different parts of the country. Relations between the two countries are developing through cooperation in various fields, alongside their historic, cultural and humanitarian ties.
