Turkey-Libya agreement ‘not binding for Greece’ and has ‘no legal effect’, Berlin says

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One of the principles of international law is that it is not possible for two states to enter into an agreement at the expense of a third country, German foreign ministry spokesperson Christopher Burger said on Wednesday, regarding a memorandum on fossil-fuel exploration signed by Turkey and Libya.

“If, in this case, two states enter into an agreement at the expense of Greece, then in all cases Greece is not bound by it and, in this sense, it has no legal effect,” Burger noted.

The spokesperson said he would have to return to the issue after a detailed assessment of the latest step but also pointed out that, as a general principle of law, it was not possible for two parties to “agree” that something belongs to them and not to a third party.

“…it is a principle of international law that states cannot conduct transactions with each other at the expense of third parties. We know this also from civil law. Two parties cannot come to an understanding that something belongs to them and does not belong to some third party,” he said, adding that the principle that two states cannot enter into an agreement at the expense of a third also applies in international law.

Source: ANA – MPA

Strong reactions within and outside Libya over the signing of the Libya-Turkey memorandum, diplomatic sources say