Libya’s eastern-based parliament, aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar, has approved a 2019 maritime agreement with Turkiye, marking a significant shift after years of opposition.

The House of Representatives, based in Tobruk and operating as an alternative to the UN-recognized legislature in Tripoli, voted unanimously on Tuesday to endorse the memorandum of understanding signed between Turkiye and Libya's former Government of National Accord (GNA) concerning the delimitation of maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea.

Lawmakers stated that specialized committees had thoroughly reviewed and explained the deal's provisions. This approval comes six years after the same parliament had initially rejected the pact in 2020 and severed political ties with Ankara, signifying a strategic realignment.

This reversal consolidates a geopolitical shift that has been developing since last year, building on recent military-to-military engagements between Ankara and Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA). These engagements include an agreement in July for the development of military facilities and advanced surveillance systems.

The LNA, which has been in conflict with forces loyal to the Tripoli-based government since the 2014 civil war, had previously opposed the 2019 maritime agreement. That deal, signed between Turkiye and the Tripoli-based GNA, delineated maritime boundaries and drew strong protests from Greece and Cyprus, who denounced it as a violation of international law.

Despite potential objections from other nations, lawmakers in the eastern parliament emphasized that the agreement serves Libya's national interests and would bolster its standing as a political, military, and economic partner. One lawmaker noted that the deal would strengthen Libya's position as a key partner to major global powers.

The move also comes in the context of past military interventions. In late 2019, as Haftar's forces neared Tripoli, Turkiye intervened with military advisors and drones to support the GNA, altering the course of the civil war. This new alignment suggests a potential long-term strategy by Ankara to secure its geopolitical and economic interests in Libya, regardless of future political outcomes.

The decision raises questions about its implications for regional maritime disputes and the broader geopolitical landscape in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly concerning the interests of Greece and Cyprus, who had strongly opposed the original 2019 agreement.