What is the Türkiye-Libya maritime deal, and why are the EU and Egypt opposed?

Libya’s House of Representatives, based in Tobruk, unanimously approved the 2019 maritime agreement between Türkiye and the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, reversing its rejection of the deal in 2020. Signed in Istanbul by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fayez al-Sarraj, the memorandum sets a maritime boundary in the eastern Mediterranean and allows Ankara to claim large areas that may contain gas. Egypt and the European Union have called the agreement “null and void”; Israel condemned it, while Greece says it violates international law. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan defended the deal as entirely legitimate.