Turkish Minister: Ankara & Tripoli Nearing Agreement to Launch Offshore Explorations

Turkish energy minister said his country is planning to conduct offshore explorations in Libyan waters in search of oil and gas. Ankara and Tripoli are close to reaching an agreement to launch the explorations, energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar told Sabah newspaper. Bayraktar said that, while Turkey invests in explorations in the Mediterranean, it also attaches a higher importance to the black sea.

In November 2019, Turkey and the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya signed agreements for military cooperation and the demarcation of maritime boundaries. This agreement has been a point of contention, as it delineates maritime boundaries between Turkey and Libya in the Mediterranean, which Greece and Cyprus view as an infringement on their own maritime zones.