Nicosia: Cyprus and Lebanon signed an Agreement on the Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the two countries and agreed to explore the possibility of interconnecting their electricity grid by creating technical working groups and conducting a feasibility study. The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, traveled to Lebanon, where he held a private meeting with his counterpart, Joseph Aoun. This was followed by an expanded meeting, after which President Christodoulides and Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport signed the EEZ delimitation agreement.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Agreement is based on the Median Line, which has been the longstanding position of the Republic of Cyprus. The initial Cyprus-Lebanon EEZ Agreement was signed in January 2007 but was not ratified by Lebanon due to internal issues. After the Cyprus-Israeli EEZ Agreement was signed in 2010, Lebanon raised claims of loss of maritime area, linked to its dispute with Israel. The Lebanon-Israeli dispute was resolved in 2022 through a U.S.-mediated agreement establishing their lateral maritime boundary.
Following the election of President Aoun in January 2025, Cyprus-Lebanon negotiations resumed at an intensive pace. Negotiations were held in Beirut in September 2025, and a revised text of the Agreement was agreed upon. It was approved by the Cabinets of Cyprus and Lebanon on 15 and 23 October 2025, respectively. Turkey had consistently opposed and acted to prevent the signing of this agreement.
In joint statements with Aoun after the signing, President Christodoulides described the Delimitation Agreement between Cyprus and Lebanon as ‘a milestone of strategic significance that seals, in the clearest possible way, the level of our relations.’ He emphasized that with the signing of this Agreement, ‘we are sending a strong political message: that Cyprus and Lebanon, on the basis of International Law, the relevant United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and good-neighborly relations, continue to invest in strengthening trust and mutual respect.’
The two Presidents also welcomed the dialogue that has already begun on the Cyprus-Lebanon electricity interconnection. In this direction, President Christodoulides said that ‘today, Cyprus and Lebanon jointly addressed the World Bank for the preparation of the relevant feasibility study for the specific project.’
Beyond the signing of the Agreement and the discussions on broader energy issues, the President noted that the two leaders also exchanged views on further expanding bilateral cooperation, regional developments directly affecting both countries, and Lebanon-EU relations, ‘which Cyprus supports actively and substantively,’ as he said.
On his part, the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, spoke through an interpreter, stating that “we are here to celebrate the completion of the delineation of the Exclusive Economic Zone between our two countries. This will allow both Lebanon and Cyprus to launch the exploration of their respective maritime resources as well as foster collaboration between our countries on this level.” He added that Lebanon is looking forward to Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026 to activate and intensify “our mechanisms of engagement and cooperation with Europe.”