Tripoli– The Maltese government has granted a license to an oil company to explore in disputed maritime areas with Libya and Italy, according to the Malta Today newspaper.
The newspaper said that the Maltese authorities granted the license to the “Albion Energy” company in two marine areas, which were the subject of a dispute between Libya and Malta, namely 2 and 7, which cover about 18,000 square kilometers of the Maltese continental shelf.
The newspaper pointed out that the Maltese government did not mention whether its disputes over the two regions with Italy and Libya had been resolved or were still continuing.
According to the newspaper, the area in which Malta granted a license for exploration, had previously been sent by Libya in 1980 to stop exploration operations in it, after Malta had granted an exploration license to an Italian company at the time.
The case reached the International Court of Justice, which ruled that the region is a median line between Malta and Libya, but the ruling was suspended due to Italy’s claim to its rights in the region.
Source: Libyan News Agency