Turkey urged Egypt and Libya to engage in a dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible to define the two countries' maritime borders in accordance with international law.

Anadolu Agency cited Turkish diplomatic sources on Sunday as saying that the maritime borders that Egypt unilaterally delimitated with Libya on December 11, 2022, have 9 geographical coordinates that do not overlap with Turkey’s continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean.

The sources confirmed that it is not clear how the maritime borders were demarcated, and whether the relevant special geographical circumstances were taken into account, or adhered to the principle of fairness. They added that the Libyan side issued a statement on December 16, 2022 saying that its rights were violated based on the presidential decree issued by Egypt.

The sources indicated that Turkey urged the two countries to resort to peaceful methods in defining their joint borders on the basis of mutual understanding, as per Article 33 of the United Nations Charter, including the International Court of Justice.

On Friday, the Government of National Unity considered Egypt's decision to unilaterally demarcate the joint maritime borders a violation of the territorial waters.

On Tuesday, Egyptian media published a republican decree issued by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi defining Egypt's western maritime borders in the Mediterranean without prior agreement with the Libyan side.