This archive report was first published on 22 December 2019.
December 22, 2019
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias embarked on a whirlwind regional tour to counter Turkey's expansion of its claims over a gas-rich area of the Mediterranean.
During his visit to Libya, Dendias met with Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi to discuss two recent agreements between Turkey and Libya's Tripoli government, which Athens has denounced as 'unsubstantial'.
Libya is currently split between two bitterly opposed administrations in the east and west, with forces loyal to Haftar fighting to seize the capital Tripoli since April.
Earlier this month, Tripoli's UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) signed a maritime delimitation deal with Ankara, alongside a military cooperation agreement, which Athens claims violates international maritime law and the sovereign rights of Greece and other states.
Athens has urged the United Nations to condemn the deal as 'disruptive' to regional peace and stability, and Dendias said Haftar agreed with Greece on the 'absolute nullity' of the memoranda and their harm to Libya and regional stability.
From Libya, Dendias flew to Cairo, where he met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to discuss unifying opposition to the maritime deal.
Earlier this month, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi denounced Turkey's expansion of ties with the Tripoli-based government, saying 'We will not allow anyone to control Libya... it is a matter of Egyptian national security.'
Dendias was also due to travel to the Cypriot coastal city of Larnaca to meet Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulidis, who has condemned Turkey's actions as 'disruptive' to regional peace and stability.
