Libya recalls envoy to Athens after Dendias calls off visit
Libya on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Athens and the foreign ministry summoned the Greek chargé d’affaire in Tripoli to protest the Greek foreign minister’s decision to cancel his meeting with the head of the country’s Presidency Council.
Nikos Dendias was on a two-part trip that was to include a meeting with the president of Libya’s western, Tripoli-based government, Mohamed Younis Menfi. That was to be followed by a meeting in Benghazi with the east-based administration.
A terse statement from the Greek ministry indicated Dendias did not want to meet with his Tripoli counterpart, Najla al-Mangoush, yet she came to the airport to greet him. The minister refused to disembark from his plane and instead flew on to Benghazi, where he met with Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar.
“Ms Mangoush tried to impose on me by her presence at the airport to meet with her. As a result I interrupted the visit in Tripoli and we flew to Benghazi, where the schedule was followed,” he later said in a statement.
Mohamed Hamuda, a spokesman from the Tripoli-based government, said Mangoush’s presence at the airport was part of diplomatic conventions.
The Tripoli-Ankara preliminary maritime and gas deal signed last month has been rejected by both Greece and Egypt, which accuse Turkey of using the agreement to try to expand its influence in the Mediterranean. The deal includes the joint exploration of hydrocarbon reserves in Libya’s offshore waters. Athens has also criticized a 2019 maritime boundaries agreement the Tripoli government signed with Turkey which it says infringes on Greek maritime borders.
The Libyan ministry said Dendias had been invited in response to a request from Athens.
[Kathimerini, AP]
