After two decades of stalled talks, Cyprus and Lebanon finally demarcated their offshore Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) on 26 November, in an agreement that caused few ripples, despite its sensitivity and importance.
As the crow flies, the distance between these two Mediterranean nations is less than 300km, and the final EEZs were agreed using the median line, an international law principle in which the maritime boundary is defined as the line where every point is equidistant from the nearest baseline of each state, acting as a natural midpoint when no treaty exists.
A previous agreement was reached back in 2007, but it was not ratified by the Lebanese parliament owing to political problems in the country at the time. In November 2025, however, it was signed off by Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, together with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides.
The official text of the present agreement has not yet been published, but substantial changes are not expected to have been made. It appears that Aoun does not intend to bring the agreement before the Lebanese parliament for ratification, for fear it could once again get stuck. This may raise questions over its legality, but these will not prevent its official endorsement.
Boundary implications
The deal now signed, Lebanon can finally advance plans to realise its energy potential within its newly defined EEZ, offering reassurance for firms seeking new gas fields in Lebanese waters. For its part, Cyprus has the added benefit that the agreement further reinforces its political-regional status—important given that the island is still divided between a Turkish north and Greek south.
Cyprus and Lebanon have agreed to explore plans to lay a underwater power cable between them, similar to projects planned between Greece and Cyprus (in advanced stages) and between Cyprus and Israel (in the early stages). Energy connectivity is seen as increasingly important, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, where some states are ‘energy islands’.
