Greek foreign minister met Haftar in Benghazi in diplomatic row with Libyan officials

TRIPOLI, Libya

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who refused to get off his plane in the Libyan capital, went to Benghazi and met Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the armed forces in the east of the country.

“The meeting regards ensuring stability in Libya,” according to the Greek Foreign Ministry.

Dendias was supposed to visit Libya to meet Mohamed Menfi, chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council and parliament speaker Aguila Saleh. But his sudden departure from Tripoli’s airport canceled those meetings.

Greek media outlets said Dendias’ plane went from Tripoli to Benghazi via Malta because Libya did not approve the flight plan.

Libyan Ministry spokesman Mohammad Hammouda told Anadolu Agency that it summoned the Greek chargé d’affaires in Tripoli.

Athens has criticized a 2019 maritime boundaries agreement the Tripoli government signed with Türkiye which was later registered by the UN.

The agreement contradicts Greece’s own expansive and unprecedented maritime boundary claims, under which islands would have huge exclusive economic zones, while Türkiye would be confined to the Gulf of Antalya.

• Khalifa Haftar
• Libya
• Nikos Dendias