Turkey’s interference in Libya is counterproductive for political settlement, say Egyptian, Greek FMs: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias agreed in a meeting in Cairo yesterday that the “negative” Turkish intervention in Libya goes against ongoing international efforts to reach a political settlement in the civil war-torn North African country, Shoukry’s ministry said in a statement. The two ministers also agreed to speed up the process of creating exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in sea water near their borders, the Associated Press quoted Dendias as saying following the meeting. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, meanwhile, says he will ask other NATO members for support in countering Turkey’s attempt to encroach on his country’s sovereignty, according to the newswire.

What exactly did Turkey do? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Libya’s Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez Al Serraj signed two MoUs on security and maritime cooperation that have drawn sharp criticism from Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus for their potential to pave the way for sea border demarcation agreements that may disregard the rights of other Mediterranean countries. The MoUs were seen as violating international law conventions. Egypt’s cabinet said in a statement last Thursday that the MoUs are lacking in legal bearing since the 2015 Skhirat peace agreement made it clear that Al Serraj cannot enter into legally-binding international agreements without the remainder of Libya’s cabinet on board.