This archive report was first published on 22 December 2019.
On December 22, 2019, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias landed briefly at Benghazi airport in eastern Libya, where he met with the head of the parallel eastern government, Abdullah al-Thani, and its foreign minister, Abdulhadi Lahweej.
According to an AFP photographer at the scene, the meeting took place amidst rising tensions between Greece and Turkey over a maritime delimitation deal signed by Turkey in November with the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
The deal expanded Turkey's claims over a large gas-rich area of the Mediterranean, sparking concerns from Athens that it violates international maritime law and the sovereign rights of Greece and other countries.
Libya is currently split between two bitterly opposed administrations in the east and west, with forces loyal to eastern-based Haftar fighting to seize the capital Tripoli since April.
On December 10, Greece urged the United Nations to condemn the maritime jurisdiction deal as 'disruptive' to regional peace and stability.
Meanwhile, Ankara's parliament approved a military agreement with the GNA on Saturday, paving the way for more direct Turkish involvement in Libya's conflict.
Haftar's forces had previously ordered their troops to target Turkish interests in Libya in June, and on Saturday evening, they announced that they had seized a Turkish freighter registered in Grenada off the coast of eastern Libya.
