Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The United Nations has been urged not to register the maritime boundaries deal signed between Turkey and the Tripoli-based Government of the National Accord led by Prime Minister Fayez Al Sarraj.

Making an appeal to the top global body, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Greece and Cyprus have sent a note verbale to the UN Secretariat, stressing that the deal is illegal and cannot be registered at the UN, the Egyptian media reported on Tuesday, citing a well-placed source at the UN.

Turkey and the GNA chief on Nov. 27, 2019 inked a memorandum of understanding on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea.

The note verbale reviewed the legal framework that regulates procedures of registering international conventions at the UN.

Any international convention or agreement has to be in force to be registered at the UN Secretariat, a matter which does not apply to the signed MoU, especially that Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh, in his letter to the UN, rejected the agreement.

The note verbale also stressed the importance of taking into account the Skhirat Agreement outcomes, mentioning that signing an agreement between Turkey and Sarraj violates the agreement’s provisions.

It also highlighted that the deal violates the rights of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the UN and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as well.

Therefore, the Turkish deal is illegal and should not be registered to maintain stability and security in the Mediterranean region.