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Turkey Attempts to Lure Lebanon Away from Cyprus Alliance

Turkey is attempting to pull Lebanon away from its maritime cooperation agreement with Cyprus following Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's first visit to Ankara in nearly two decades.

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe Staff Writer

AUGUST 1, 2026 AT 8:38 PM

According to Vassilis Nedos writing in Kathimerini (EN), Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 30 in what observers interpret primarily as an attempt by Ankara to secure Lebanon’s neutral posture in the escalating Israel-Turkey conflict.

But Turkey’s diplomatic engagement with Lebanon carries a secondary objective that has raised concerns in Nicosia: undermining the maritime agreement signed between Cyprus and Lebanon at the close of last year, which established boundaries for their Exclusive Maritime Zones.

Ankara’s Maritime Doctrine Challenged

Turkey has consistently rejected the notion that islands possess rights to exclusive maritime zones, a position that puts Ankara at odds with international law and multiple bilateral agreements in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Cyprus-Lebanon deal directly contradicts this Turkish position by recognizing such zones without Turkish input or approval.

Cyprus has concluded similar maritime boundary agreements with Israel, Egypt, and Greece, all of which have drawn Turkish criticism. Turkey’s own memorandum of understanding with Libya on maritime boundaries has been widely dismissed by regional powers and legal experts as lacking legitimacy.

Cyprus Turns to Israel for Defense Modernization

The deepening security relationship between Cyprus and Israel has manifested in military procurement decisions that further illustrate the strategic alignments taking shape in the region. Cyprus is currently in advanced negotiations to acquire two modern Israeli tank models for its armed forces.

Notably, Nicosia declined an offer from Greece to receive older Leopard tanks, opting instead for more technologically advanced Israeli armor systems that would enhance the island nation’s defensive capabilities.

The convergence of maritime disputes, regional security arrangements, and Turkey’s diplomatic outreach to Lebanon underscores the complex geopolitical competition unfolding across the Eastern Mediterranean, where energy resources and maritime jurisdiction remain flashpoints for international friction.

With information from Kathimerini (EN)

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe

She was born in 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the granddaughter of an immigrant from Crete who settled in the Greek community of Johannesburg (one of the largest in Africa). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg and a master’s degree in Journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She began her career at English-language media outlets in Johannesburg, covering politics and economics, with a focus on issues related to migration and the diaspora. She moved to Athens in 2015 to “return to her roots,” initially to pursue graduate studies, and has remained there permanently. She is married to an Afrikaner; they have two children and live in the southern suburbs of Athens.

Ankara’s Maritime Doctrine Challenged

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