Greek diplomacy continues efforts to restore, boost ties with Libya

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Economic Diplomacy & Openness Kostas Fragogiannis was received for talks in Tripoli on Monday by his Libyan counterpart Mohamed Khalil Issa.

The meeting marked the second time within the past two months that the two officials met.

Greece has reopened its embassy in the large North African country and its consulate in the eastern port city of Benghazi.

Athens has been keen to re-establish diplomatic, political and economic ties to the country, donating some 200,000 Covid-19 vaccines as a goodwill gesture.

The Mitsotakis government’s twin goals are to secure an equal playing field for Greece-based construction companies seeking to secure reconstruction contracts in the country, as well as to ensure that international efforts to evacuate foreign fighters from the country are successful.

The latter goal also touches on Turkish involvement in Libya’s civil war, supplying mercenaries, weapons and money to one side in exchange for the interim government in Tripoli signing a controversial maritime delimitation deal with Ankara outside the framework of UNCLOS – an agreement only recognized by Turkey itself.