The Plenary of the House of Representatives unanimously approved on Thursday the ratification of the agreement on the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between Cyprus and Lebanon, with 31 votes in favour.
The agreement was signed on 26 November in Beirut by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Lebanese Minister of Transport and Public Works, Fayez Rassamny, in the presence of the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun.
MPs from all parties welcomed the agreement as a very positive development and a "historic" achievement.
The bill relating to the EEZ agreement was sent to parliament under the urgent procedure. The Council of Ministers, by means of a confidential decision at its meeting of 15 October 2025, approved the text of the EEZ agreement. At the same time, it authorised the President of the Republic to sign the final text of the Agreement pursuant to Article 169(2) of the Constitution, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs to prepare the relevant ratifying bill for submission to the Council of Ministers for approval.
The signing of the agreement constitutes an extremely important development for the interests of Cyprus and Lebanon. The agreement opens the way for completing negotiations and concluding the Cyprus-Lebanon Unitisation and Joint Exploitation Agreement for transboundary hydrocarbon reservoirs, providing the necessary legal certainty and security for investors in developing the two States’ energy programmes. At the same time, it enhances energy security for the benefit of the citizens of Cyprus and Lebanon, as well as strengthening the Eastern Mediterranean’s prospects as an alternative energy corridor for Europe. In addition, the Agreement serves as a foundation for regional stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Following negotiations, the Cypriot and Lebanese delegations – headed respectively by Ambassador Tasos Tzionis and Fayez Rassamny – agreed, on 16 September 2025 in Beirut, a revised text of the EEZ Agreement. The revised text maintains Points 1–6 of the 2007 Agreement that was never brought into force, and adds Points 23, 24 and 25 to the south and Point 7 to the north of the delimitation line.
READ THE REVISED TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT HERE.