Greece said on Friday it was expelling Libya's ambassador to the country, angered at an accord between Libya and Turkey signed on November 27 that maps out a sea boundary between the two countries close to the Greek island of Crete. 

Libyan Ambassador Mohamed Younis AB Menfi had 72 hours to leave the country, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told a news briefing. Dendias called the Turkey-Libyan accord a "blatant violation of international law." 

The move did not mean Greece was severing diplomatic relations with Libya, Dendias said. 

The expulsion is the latest twist in a saga of Mediterranean states jostling to claim yet-untapped oil and gas in the region.  

Turkey and the internationally recognized government of Libya signed the accord defining their boundaries and a deal on expanded security and military cooperation, a step Turkey said was protecting its rights.  

Greece immediately shot back, calling the accord absurd because it ignored the presence of Crete, the largest Greek island, between the coasts of Turkey and Libya. 

Greece and Turkey are at odds over a host of issues ranging from mineral rights in the Aegean Sea to ethnically split Cyprus, an island country that's located southeast of Greece and south of Turkey.  

Along with Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and the European Union have all voiced opposition over the deal.  

Tensions have also been running high because of Turkish drilling off Cyprus, and the EU has prepared sanctions against Turkey in response.  

EU foreign ministers last month issued a new sanction mechanism that will be imposed on any individuals or countries that are "responsible for, or involved in, unauthorized drilling activities of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean." 

While working on the lists of entities for sanction, EU authorities told Turkey that it could be granted exemption from financial penalties if it gives up drilling in the region.  

On Thursday, Cyprus said it was petitioning the International Court of Justice to safeguard its offshore rights. 

Domestically, the move also infuriated the Libyan parliament controlled by the Benghazi-based (Libyan National Army) LNA, which rules the eastern part of the country. Lawmakers condemned that the maritime deal, saying it had compromised the country's overall security and sovereignty as it allows Turkey to legally utilize its water space and airspace.  

Two governments of Libya have coexisted since 2015, with the Benghazi-based government regulating the eastern part and the Tripoli-based government the western portion.  

Turkey and Libya later condemned Greece's decision to expel the Libyan ambassador. 

"Expelling an ambassador just because of the (agreement) that we signed is not a mature behavior in diplomacy. This is outrageous," Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in televised comments during a visit to Rome. 

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Siyala said that Greece's action is not acceptable. 

"The move is unacceptable," Siyala told Reuters. Greece does not have diplomatic representation in Libya, but Libya would have reciprocated the move if it did," he said. 

(With input from Reuters)