Greece outraged at attempt to “entrap” FM Dendias into legitimizing interim, expired Libyan gov’t; delegation refused to exit official plane

Greece expressed outrage on Thursday over what it called an attempt to “entrap” the country’s foreign minister into appearing to legitimize what Athens now considers as a near-renegade interim government in Libya.

A high-profile diplomatic incident played out earlier on Thursday morning on the tarmac of Tripoli airport, when Greek FM Nikos Dendias refused to exit a government executive jet that flew him and members of an official Greek delegation – including journalists – to the Libyan capital, after the Greek side ascertained that the interim – and now expired – Libyan government’s Foreign Minister, Najla Mangoush, would officially welcome the delegation.

Mangoush is essentially considered a “persona non grata” by Athens after she signed another outlandish MoU with Erdogan-led Turkey last month in Tripoli, on behalf of the Government of National Unity. The latest “agreement” allocates, at least on paper, the right to Turkey to conduct hydrocarbon research in “Libyan waters”. Delimitation of exclusive economic zones between the two disparate countries, however, was vehemently rejected and ridiculed by Athens, which pointed to a flagrant attempt at “Turkography” in the eastern and central Mediterranean by flatly ignoring the UN Convention of the Law (UNCLOS) and conventional maritime law. The initial agreement and last month’s follow up were also quickly and officially rejected by the EU, major powers, regional countries and the east Libya-based opposition.

Athens has categorically ruled out any meetings or contacts with members of the Tripoli-based GNU, insisting on immediate and free elections in the vast North Africa country and a repeal of the illegal agreements with Turkey.

In terms of Thursday’s incident, the foreign ministry in Athens said Dendias had acquiesced to a meeting, upon arrival in Tripoli, with the president of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi, and after a request by the office of the latter. In fact, both sides had a working agreement over protocol for the Menfi-Dendias meeting.

The plane carrying the Greek delegation was to subsequently fly to Benghazi, in eastern Libya, where Dendias would hold talks with the Libyan opposition and other officials.

The meeting with Menfi was cancelled.

According to reports in Arab-language media, the Libyan head of state expressed his displeasure with the acting foreign minister of the country, and had previously cautioned her against being at the airport. Instead a presidential welcoming committee had been dispatched.

The plane carrying the delegation subsequently took off from Tripoli and headed to Malta’s FIR, as air traffic authorities in the GNU-controlled airport refused to allow a flight plan for Benghazi. Once within Malta FIR, the plane continued eastwards until hailed by air traffic controllers in Benghazi.

Among others, the aircraft carried some 30,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine donated by Greece to the Libyan people.

The Libyan ministry later took to social media to declare that “Greek FM Nikos Dendias arrived in Tripoli but refused to get off the plane & shortly after that decided to departure. – Foreign Minister Najla Al-Mangoush was waiting to welcome him. – We condemn this & will take action…We granted approval to the Greek Minister, at his request, despite the harsh policies and stances towards Libya in the past days”.