Libyan MoU cannot affect Greek rights, says US energy official

The Turkey-Libya memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to maritime zones "cannot as a legal matter affect the rights or obligations of third states" such as Greece, a US energy official said on Tuesday during  a virtual roundtable discussion on the Eastern Mediterranean and the trilateral partnership between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

The event was organized by the Atlantic Council and the American-Hellenic Chambers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

"International Law, the Convention of the Law of the Sea generally recognises that islands ... generally have an EEZ and they have a continental shelf, just as any other land territory, said Francis Fannon, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources.

At the same time, an MoU "does not abrogate the rights of states," he added, "their legal status is recognized, there's not an equivalency here."