Greek Foreign Minister Heads to Tripoli for Maritime and Energy Talks in Major Diplomatic Push

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis arrives successful Tripoli Monday for high-level talks with Libya's Government of National Unity, successful Athens' astir nonstop diplomatic engagement with the Libyan superior successful years.

Mr. Gerapetritis volition clasp abstracted meetings with Presidential Council President Mohamed Al Menfi and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, arsenic good arsenic acting Foreign Minister Al Taher Salem Al Baour and acting Oil Minister Khalifa Rajab Abdulsadek.

At the apical of the docket is the disputed 2019 maritime memorandum betwixt Tripoli and Ankara, which Greece considers amerciable nether planetary instrumentality due to the fact that it disregards the continental support rights of Greek islands including Crete.

Athens has agelong sought to neutralize the agreement, and Mr. Gerapetritis' willingness to prosecute connected vigor practice signals a displacement toward method dialog arsenic a mode of gathering the spot needed for eventual maritime delimitation talks.

Migration is besides connected the table.

With vessels departing from eastbound Libya progressively making landfall connected Crete, Greece is pushing for stronger seashore defender practice and quality sharing to disrupt smuggling networks operating on that route.

The sojourn follows caller Greek diplomatic outreach successful eastbound Libya — portion of a deliberate dual-track strategy to support power crossed a state that remains politically divided.

A ceremonial maritime bound statement is not imminent fixed Libya's interior instability.

But Mr. Gerapetritis' beingness successful Tripoli signals that Athens has decided nonstop engagement, nevertheless complicated, serves Greek interests amended than lasting connected the sidelines.