The US State Department issued a statement on the Turkish-Libyan maritime delimitation memorandum calling it “unhelpful and provocative”.
The US, however, called on all sides to show restraint in the region of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and refrain from actions that could raise tensions even more.
While the United States generally does not take a position on other states’ maritime boundary disputes, we call on all parties to refrain from all actions that risk heightening tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean at this sensitive time. These developments highlight the risk of the Libyan conflict taking on wider regional dimensions and the urgent need for all interested parties to work toward a negotiated solution. In particular, the announcement of a signed Turkish-GNA delimitation memorandum of understanding has raised tensions in the region and is unhelpful and provocative.
Meanwhile, Russia also weighed in on the matter with an equivocating statement by the with Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova who urged all sides involved to adopt caution, proving Moscow’s current warm relations with Turkey.
The Russian diplomat called on Turkey and Libya to exercise caution and not aggravate the already difficult situation in Libya and the Mediterranean region.
“We hope that the parties that signed the aforementioned Memorandums will show political prudence and will not take steps that are capable of exacerbating the already difficult situation in Libya and the Mediterranean as a whole,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
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