It was reported that Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias refused to get off the plane in the capital Tripoli and went back without any explanation. Regarding the incident that led to the diplomatic crisis, the Greek media reported that Dendias canceled his meeting with Menfi and went to Benghazi when he learned that the Foreign Minister of the Tripoli government, Manguş, was waiting for him. Manguş, which Dendias did not want to meet, had signed a memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Libya in the field of hydrocarbons.
REFUSED TO GET OFF THE AIRCRAFT AND TURNED BACK
There was a diplomatic crisis between the governments of Athens and Tripoli in Libya. According to the statement made by the Libyan Foreign Ministry, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who came to Tripoli International Airport to meet with Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Mohammed al-Menfi, stated that he refused to get off the plane even though his Libyan counterpart, Necla Manguş, was waiting for him at the airport. In the statement, “Despite the irrational policies and positions adopted by the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs towards the interests of the Libyan state in recent days, the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave him permission to visit Tripoli on 17 November 2022. According to the diplomatic procedure, the Libyan Foreign Minister was waiting for him. However, the Greek Minister surprisingly refused to get off the plane and returned without any explanation.
According to the Greek Foreign Ministry, Dendias’ plane later passed to Benghazi, which is under the control of Libyan leader Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the illegitimate armed forces in eastern Libya. It was stated that Dendias is expected to meet with Tobruk House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh and other officials here.
GREEK PRESS HEADLINES
On the other hand, when the Greek media learned that Dendias only wanted to meet with the President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, on the condition that he would not meet with the members of the Tripoli government, which is recognized by the United Nations (UN) in Tripoli, the Tripoli government decided to meet with Menfi when they learned that Foreign Minister Mangush was waiting for him. He stated that he canceled and moved to Benghazi.
SIGNED AGREEMENT WITH TURKEY
Libyan Foreign Minister Manguş, which Dendias did not want to meet, had signed a memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Libya in the field of hydrocarbons.
The Athens administration claims that the Tripoli government has expired and cannot sign international agreements that are binding on the country’s future.
Source: UAV