A Greek minister arriving in Tripoli refuses to get off the plane

Greece’s foreign minister, who was due to visit Libya on Thursday, refused to leave the plane upon arrival at the airport to avoid being greeted there by his representative in the Libyan government, according to official sources, which Athens denies its legitimacy.

As per protocol, Libyan diplomatic chief Najla al-Mangouch was at the base of the plane to welcome his Greek counterpart, Nicos Dentias, the Libyan Foreign Ministry said. But the Greek minister “refused to get off the plane, before taking off without any explanation”, the ministry added, condemning the gesture and vowing to respond with “appropriate diplomatic measures”.

In Athens, the Foreign Ministry blamed the diplomatic incident on Libyan officials, who accused them of “stealth from an agreement” that no meeting between Nicos Dentias and his Libyan counterpart would take place.

The Greek is to meet only Mohamed al-Menfi, head of the Presidential Council, in Tripoli, bypassing the government, before traveling to Benghazi, the seat of rival authorities in the east of the country. Local media reported that the Benghazi stage was maintained and Nikos Tendias had already landed there.

Athens has been at odds with the government since it signed two memorandums of understanding with Turkey in 2019, one on military cooperation and another, more controversial, on maritime demarcation. The Mediterranean Sea.

In early October, Tripoli and Ankara signed an agreement on prospecting for hydrocarbons in Libyan waters condemned by Greece and Egypt. “This agreement threatens stability and security in the Mediterranean,” Nicos Dentias said at the time, challenging the legitimacy of the Tripoli government.

Two governments have been vying for power since March in Libya, which descended into chaos after an uprising that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. Tripoli is set up as part of the UN auspices, while the rival government of Marshal Khalifa Haftar is backed in the east.