Yesterday, Friday, Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Elias Bou Saab, revealed that Lebanon will not finalize the file of demarcating the maritime borders with Cyprus, except after an understanding with Syria.
This came in a statement by Bou Saab, after Lebanese President Michel Aoun met a delegation from Cyprus to demarcate the maritime borders between the two countries, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.
Bou Saab indicated that the aim of the meeting was to discuss the points that were stuck between the two sides on the subject of demarcation, pointing out that there was a previous difference of viewpoints.
The Lebanese minister considered that cooperation with Cyprus is not the same as cooperation with “Israel”, considering that this would speed up work.
Bou Saab explained that President Aoun gave directions to speed up the demarcation as much as possible, indicating that the meeting was to put things on the right track, as he put it.
Bou Saab pointed out that the points that will remain unresolved are those related to the demarcation in the north, saying: “Therefore, we asked to communicate with Syria again, and this is what is happening with friendly countries.”
For his part, the official from the Cypriot delegation said, in statements to reporters after the meeting: “There is no problem that cannot be resolved between us, and the issue of demarcation is not that difficult.”
In 2007, Lebanon and Cyprus signed an agreement on defining the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone, with the aim of strengthening good-neighborly relations and cooperation between them, to invest in oil wealth.
The agreement was based on the laws in force in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the exclusive zone between Lebanon and Cyprus was determined on the basis of the median line.
But after the Greek Cyprus signed an agreement with “Israel” in 2011 to define the special economic zone between them, Lebanon accused Cyprus of ignoring what was agreed upon with it.
This led to Lebanon losing a water area of more than 860 km2, from its own area, which contains large quantities of oil and gas.
These developments come days after Lebanon completed an agreement on the issue of demarcating the maritime borders with “Israel”, signed by Lebanese President Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
The Lebanese presidency announced earlier that Beirut would send an official delegation to Syria to discuss the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries, but this did not happen yet.
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