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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the maritime jurisdiction agreement Türkiye and Libya signed in 2019 is "an extremely legitimate deal both legally and politically," after Libya's House of Representatives voted to approve it. Speaking to Anadolu Agency during a visit to Brussels, Fidan said the outcome was a result of the foreign policy conducted under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Fidan's Brussels schedule covered talks with Belgian counterparts, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as meetings with Turkish community groups.

Dense agenda in Brussels

Fidan said the visit to the Belgian capital packed a heavy workload. "We spent a very intense period of work centered on our bilateral relations with the Belgian government, relations with NATO, relations with the EU, and matters concerning our citizens and civil society organizations here," Fidan said.

Fidan said numerous contacts were held in Belgium and that bilateral and regional relations were reviewed with the Belgian counterpart. Together with Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci, Fidan took part in a Türkiye-Belgium meeting of the foreign, justice and interior ministers. Fidan said the talks reviewed all matters falling under the three ministries, along with related indirect issues.

Fidan described the so-called 3+3 platform as a very useful format that has been in place since 2016. The minister also recalled the visit of Queen Mathilde of Belgium to Türkiye, saying she came with a large economic and trade delegation. "This clearly carried the bilateral relations to another level, and we are building on top of that," Fidan said.

Talks with NATO and EU leaders

Fidan met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels. The two covered Türkiye-NATO relations, follow-up on decisions taken after the NATO Ankara Summit hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Gulf, institutional matters closely involving NATO and issues related to crisis regions.

With EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Fidan discussed Türkiye-EU relations and ways to overcome deadlocks. "There are regional and global issues closely followed on both sides: the Russia-Ukraine war, the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the resulting energy problems. Grain products that have been unable to reach world markets because of the tension in the Black Sea, what will happen to them, what will we do, what kind of solutions will we bring? We also took stock of the blocked and the advancing points in Türkiye-EU relations," Fidan said.

Fidan also met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a long exchange in which EU-Türkiye issues were reviewed in depth. Fidan said regular meetings of this kind need to continue. "There are very important issues, trade and political issues. There are issues concerning our current status, issues concerning candidate status. Qualified, planned and persistent talks must continue for these," Fidan said.

Libya maritime agreement

On the House of Representatives' adoption of the memorandum of understanding on delimiting maritime jurisdictions signed by Türkiye and Libya in 2019, Fidan said the matter had been followed closely since 2019, including during a previous posting. Fidan called the current point reached a diplomatic achievement of the foreign policy conducted under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Fidan said the agreement is shaped according to the fundamentals of Turkish foreign policy, supports peace and stability and is based on mutual gains. "The trust of our Libyan brothers in Türkiye and the stability that will come to the Eastern Mediterranean are of extraordinary importance," Fidan said.

Legally and politically legitimate

On countries that have reacted to the agreement, Fidan said: "We know why they react. Some react because they think they have to react. Some genuinely have strategic problems with this issue. But this is an extremely legitimate agreement both legally and politically. There is no need to debate it."

Fidan said that according to Turkish legal experts, the 2019 agreement was already in force by its technical nature. "What was done in the (Libya House of) Representatives was essentially an act of acceptance, not an act of ratification, according to our lawyers. We have regarded this as a valid agreement since 2019," Fidan said.

Fidan repeated that the development was an achievement of Turkish diplomacy. "Hopefully we will continue to offer our people similar achievements. Our aim, as everywhere, is to bring stability, peace, calm and happiness to the Mediterranean. Our diplomacy has no other aim," Fidan said.

Key takeaways

• Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the 2019 Türkiye-Libya maritime jurisdiction agreement is "extremely legitimate" legally and politically.
• Libya's House of Representatives voted to approve the memorandum of understanding, which Turkish lawyers say was already in force.
• Fidan held talks in Brussels with Belgian ministers, NATO's Mark Rutte, the EU's Kaja Kallas and Ursula von der Leyen.
• Fidan called the outcome of the Libya deal a diplomatic achievement of foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.