Türkiye Offers Egypt Maritime Deal with 15,000 Sq Km Advantage Over Greece

Türkiye has renewed its offer to negotiate a maritime boundary agreement with Egypt, arguing that Cairo could gain more than 15,000 square kilometers of additional maritime jurisdiction compared with a potential agreement with Greece.

Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for Türkiye's Defense Ministry, outlined the proposal on October 28 following the ministry's weekly press briefing.

"We once again emphasize that we are ready to sign an Agreement on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas with Egypt in line with mutual interests," Aktürk said.

"It is assessed that if Egypt signs such an agreement with our country, it would gain more than 15,000 square kilometers of additional maritime jurisdiction compared to a potential agreement it could conclude with Greece," he added.

The figure is Ankara's own assessment rather than the terms of any negotiated text, but it places Egypt's potential gain at the center of Türkiye's pitch to Cairo.

Ankara Challenges Greek Maritime Claims

Türkiye's proposal rests on a competing interpretation of maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Ankara disputes the extent of jurisdiction claimed by Greece.

Greece and Egypt concluded a partial exclusive economic zone (EEZ) agreement in Cairo on August 6, 2020. The arrangement entered into force on September 2 that year, covering an area roughly between the 26th and 28th meridians while leaving the eastern sector unresolved.

Ankara does not recognise the agreement. It argues that maritime delimitation should follow principles of equity and that Greek islands, including Crete, Rhodes and Kastellorizo, should receive reduced weight in determining maritime boundaries.

Türkiye is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler had already raised the prospect of an agreement with Cairo around October 24, describing Ankara's proposal as "clear".

Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Greece and the EU against attempts to sideline Türkiye in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Libya Agreement Adds to Maritime Dispute

The renewed offer follows a decision by Libya's House of Representatives on October 20 to unanimously ratify the November 2019 maritime memorandum of understanding with Türkiye.

Libyan lawmakers also overturned resolutions adopted in 2020 that had rejected the agreement.

Türkiye's Defense Ministry welcomed the decision, describing its maritime position as "based on international law and the principles of equity, which takes into account the legitimate rights and interests of the relevant coastal states."

Egypt and Greece have rejected the Türkiye-Libya arrangement.

On October 21, Egypt's Foreign Ministry declared the memorandum "null and void" and said it had "no legal effect", arguing that it violated UNCLOS.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, also agreed to continue consultations on extending their existing partial EEZ agreement eastward.

Those discussions concern a maritime area that remains outside the boundaries established by the 2020 Greece-Egypt accord.

Defense Cooperation Advances Despite Disagreement

Ankara's maritime proposal comes amid improved bilateral relations with Cairo following a diplomatic rupture in 2013.

The two governments have since restored ties, exchanging ambassadors in 2023, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Cairo in February 2024.

Military cooperation has also expanded. In July 2026, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Egyptian Defense Minister Ashraf Salem Zaher signed a defense cooperation memorandum of understanding.

The two countries are also scheduled to conduct the Sea of Friendship-2026 naval exercise in Alexandria from November 4 to 9.

The expanding defense relationship has not, however, produced an agreement on maritime boundaries.

Egypt has neither accepted Ankara's latest proposal nor announced negotiations over a potential delimitation agreement. No timetable has been established.

For now, Türkiye's offer remains an attempt to persuade Cairo that a bilateral maritime settlement with Ankara would provide greater jurisdictional benefits than an alternative agreement with Athens.