Aydınlık says Libya could suspend talks with Athens over Greek exploration south of Crete. The paper calls an August 24 diplomatic note an "ultimatum," but Tripoli has not confirmed a decision to halt negotiations.
On August 24, 2026, Libya sent Greece a diplomatic note objecting to planned seismic surveys in maritime areas south of Crete and the Peloponnese. The note also covered the Ionian Sea. It said continued activity could negatively affect bilateral negotiations on maritime delimitation and potentially lead to their suspension. Athens says it has responded through diplomatic channels and considers Libya's claims unfounded.
Aydınlık presents Libya's objection as a warning that Tripoli could suspend negotiations with Athens if exploration continues. Calling it an "ultimatum" is the newspaper's reading of the note, not a confirmed Libyan decision to end the talks. Greece says negotiations are continuing, though progress has been slow.
Chevron's stake raises the commercial stakes
In February 2026, Chevron and Greece's HELLENiQ Energy signed agreements covering exploration rights in four offshore blocks with a combined area of about 47,000 square kilometres. The blocks are South Peloponnese and A2. The other two are South Crete I and South Crete II. Chevron holds a 70% interest in the partnership, while HELLENiQ Energy holds 30%. Greek Energy and Environment Minister Stavros Papastavrou said the agreements were due to go to Parliament for ratification in March. Exploration was expected to begin in the second half of 2026. Deep exploratory drilling has been projected for 2030 to 2032.
The partnership's 70/30 ownership split is separate from the profit-sharing terms Papastavrou described. He said 40% of project profits would go to the Greek state and 60% to the consortium. In October, Greek officials expected Chevron and HELLENiQ Energy to begin seismic work by the end of 2026. These remain exploration plans; no discovery or commercial reserves have been established. The agreements and planned schedule were reported by To Vima.
A wider Greek tender, announced by the Ministry of Environment and Energy on June 30 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on August 17, covers 2D and 3D seismic surveys in eight offshore areas. The listed areas include South of Crete 1 and South of Crete 2. Southwest of Crete is also included. These areas are among those at issue with Libya. The tender covers geophysical surveys and preparation for possible drilling, not confirmed hydrocarbon discoveries.
Aydınlık reports that Libya claims more than 85% of the maritime area covered by the Greek offshore blocks South Crete 1 and South Crete 2. That figure is a Libyan claim reported by the newspaper, not an internationally agreed boundary. Greece and Libya have no bilateral maritime delimitation agreement in force.
Athens bases its designation of the disputed areas on Greek law, including Law 4001/2011. Greek diplomatic sources say Greece uses the median line as an external reference for its maritime zone when no delimitation agreement exists. Greece argues that continuing negotiations do not require it to suspend licensed surveys or accept unilateral claims. Libya objects because it regards areas south of Crete as within its interests. As reported by Proto Thema, the note said the activities could negatively affect bilateral negotiations and that continued violations could potentially lead to their suspension.
A 2019 agreement remains central to the dispute
The dispute is tied to the maritime memorandum signed in November 2019 by Turkey and the Tripoli-based Libyan government. Ankara uses the agreement to contest Greek and Cypriot maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece rejects the memorandum, arguing that it disregards the maritime entitlements of Greek islands, including Crete. The memorandum did not settle the separate maritime boundary between Greece and Libya.
Libya's divided political institutions add another layer. Aydınlık links developments in Benghazi to the possibility that Libya's House of Representatives could eventually ratify the memorandum. Ratification remains a possibility, not an established outcome. An internal Libyan endorsement would not itself settle the international boundary dispute.
That institutional fragmentation also shapes Libya's political process, covered in a recent Libya briefing.
Athens says the diplomatic note is not new
Greek diplomatic sources say the August 24 note is not a new development and that Athens has already answered it through diplomatic channels. Greece maintains that the median-line principle provides a basis for its approach where no negotiated maritime delimitation agreement exists. Talks with Libya formally continue, while the competing positions over the planned surveys remain unresolved.
Chevron's commercial role does not establish US diplomatic support for Greece's interpretation of every contested boundary. According to the supplied account, Washington's approach will depend on broader regional considerations.
Aydınlık presents the August 24 note as a possible threat to negotiations. The note warns that continued activities could lead to a suspension of talks. Greece says the dialogue remains open.
