Turkey is moving slowly and methodically in its developing relations with Libya so as not to disrupt the delicate balance it has achieved with the United States, as is evident from the memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday between Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in Istanbul for exploration in maritime areas off the coast of Libya.
This agreement comes shortly after a series of developments that reveal the close coordination of the pro-Turkish interim Government of National Unity of Tripoli with Ankara, such as Libya’s reaction to Athens’ plans for an international tender for hydrocarbon exploration off the island of Crete, for which US energy giant Chevron has expressed interest, but also the spike in migratory waves from Libyan territory to the islands of Crete and Gavdos.
Athens also has to face more recent problems from the rival eastern-based government of Osama Hammad, which appears to have also come closer to Ankara.
The MoU signed on Wednesday between NOC and TPAO concerns a geological and geophysical study of four offshore areas which are located south of the median line between Greece (Crete and Peloponnese) and Libya.
In short, they do not affect Greece’s existing energy planning.
It is worth noting that Wednesday’s deal is based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in October 2022 between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government regarding cooperation in the field of hydrocarbon exploration and extraction and has used as the main map the one that accompanies the Turkish-Libyan Memorandum of 2019, based on which Crete does not have influence beyond six nautical miles.
Sources in Athens said that based on the map released by the Libyan oil company, the areas demarcated are located south of the median line and, “in any case, Greece will not accept any violation of its sovereign rights.”
According to the statement released by NOC, a two-dimensional seismic survey is expected to be carried out by TPAO, most likely with one of its known research vessels, Barbaros or Oruc Reis.
The data obtained, which will cover a total of 10,000 kilometers, are expected to be processed within nine months at the latest.
It is worth noting that on June 13, it was announced that the Oruc Reis had completed seismic surveys in the maritime areas of Somalia and began its return journey to Turkey after June 15. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar had announced last month (May 9) that TPAO would begin operations off the coast of Libya.
The situation in Libya was also discussed on Wednesday during the meeting between Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and his American counterpart Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in The Hague, who showed interest in both the increased migratory flows to Crete and Chevron’s interest for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete.
