The National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya announced on Wednesday it had signed an agreement (MoU) with Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to undertake offshore exploration in four sea areas, a move expected to raise tensions between Greece and Turkey.
According to reports, discussions were also held regarding the conduct of two-dimensional seismic surveys covering a distance of 10,000 kilometers, as well as the processing of the resulting data within a timeframe not exceeding nine months, according to a statement issued by Libya’s state-owned oil company.
On Libya’s part, it was also disclosed that the agreement was signed in Istanbul by representatives of the two companies. Specifically, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) was represented by Chairman of the Board Masoud Suleman, while the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) was represented by its Director General, Ahmet Turkoglu.
Last week, Libya’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing Greece of violating its sovereign rights by demarcating two offshore blocks south of Crete.
This reaction from Tripoli came in response to the announcement by the Greek authorities regarding the launch of an international tender for the granting of licenses for hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation in maritime areas south of the island of Crete.
Libya’s state oil company has released details regarding the four offshore blocks it has granted to a Turkish company for exploration. Specifically, it published a map showing the locations where surveys will be conducted by TPAO (Turkish Petroleum Corporation).
All four blocks are situated south of the median line of the Greece–Libya maritime boundary. Diplomatic sources emphasized that “under no circumstances will Greece accept any violation of its sovereign rights.”
