The maritime border agreement signed between Cyprus and Lebanon on Nov. 26 cannot be overturned under any circumstances, government sources in Nicosia said on Tuesday, dismissing concerns that Turkish objections could derail the deal.
The agreement, which delineates the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundaries between the two countries, will be submitted to Cyprus’s parliament today as an urgent matter for ratification. President Nikos Christodoulides signed the accord on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, whilst Lebanon’s Transport Minister Fayez Rashamni represented Beirut.
Government sources emphasised that Turkish reactions recorded thus far cannot affect the bilateral agreement, noting that Ankara failed to find receptive ground in Beirut to prevent the final deal—in contrast to 2007 when Turkish pressure successfully stalled similar negotiations.
Agreement builds on 2007 framework with expanded zones
Efforts to establish an EEZ delimitation between Cyprus and Lebanon began in 2007. Initial discussions between the two sides showed promise but stalled midway due to high-level interventions from Turkey, according to government sources.
Ankara pursued a two-pronged strategy to block the agreement: direct high-level interventions towards Beirut urging abandonment of the deal, and simultaneously pushing Lebanon to make territorial demands Turkey believed would provoke Cypriot government opposition.
Despite Turkish efforts, the discussions from that period remained documented and were not abandoned, government sources said.
The agreement signed on Jan. 17, 2007, never entered into force but retained its value, with the new accord signed last week in Beirut based on that framework, government sources told Phileleftheros.
Two key differences distinguish the 2025 agreement from its 2007 predecessor: the tri-national point (Cyprus-Lebanon-Israel) which accounts for the Israel-Lebanon agreement, and the median line with Syria.
These modifications resulted in both Cyprus and Lebanon securing larger EEZ areas than originally agreed, government sources said. They characterised as “completely detached from reality” reports suggesting Cyprus emerged as a loser from the 2025 agreement.
Israel mediation proved crucial in unlocking negotiations
Israel played an indirect but significant role in the process. Three years after Cyprus-Lebanon negotiations stalled, Nicosia initiated similar talks with Jerusalem in summer 2010. Those discussions progressed rapidly, culminating in signatures by December 2010.
Cyprus subsequently noted willingness between Israel and Lebanon to resolve their maritime boundary dispute. Whilst Nicosia conveyed messages between the parties, Beirut and Jerusalem ultimately turned to Washington to assume a mediating role, leading to their 2022 agreement.
Following the Lebanon-Israel accord in 2022, Nicosia immediately mobilised to revive dialogue with Beirut. A Cypriot delegation travelled to Beirut for consultations, achieving an agreement in principle based on the new Israel-Lebanon development and positioned north of the median line agreed in 2007.
Both sides agreed then to reconvene within 10 days to complete negotiations—a timeline that extended beyond 30 days. Further attempts followed but failed to yield agreement due to third-party interventions.
Maps initially published in Lebanon suggesting the Lebanese side lost territory under the agreement lack basis in actual data, government sources said. Such claims relied on what Turkey presented as supposed Lebanese rights, which did not correspond to coordinates Lebanon submitted to the United Nations.
Government circles emphasised definitively that “the agreement between the Republic of Cyprus and Lebanon is ironclad”.
Lebanon’s cabinet unanimously approved the agreement with Cyprus, government sources confirmed.
Read more: