The Libyan Foreign Ministry said the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias refused to get off his plane after arriving in Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport on Thursday and getting Libyan authorities’ clearance to visit Tripoli, adding that he had left – to Benghazi – without any clarification.
The Libyan Foreign Minister, Najla Al-Mangoush, said she was preparing to receive the Greek counterpart as per diplomatic principles. She said his stance and departure without getting off the plane is upsetting and the Foreign Ministry will take the necessary measures to preserve the capacity of the Libyan state and diplomacy.
“Despite the uncooperative policies and stances of the Greek Foreign Minister toward Libyan interests that are reflected in his unhinged statements on Libyan sovereignty, he was given a clearance for a visit to Tripoli.” The Foreign Ministry said.
In the meantime, the Greek Foreign Ministry said Dendias’ visit to Tripoli, where he was scheduled to meet with the Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed Menfi, has been cancelled because the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to respect the agreement made that Dendias would not meet with the Libyan Foreign Minister.
It added that the part of the Minister’s visit to Eastern Libya is proceeding as planned. He arrived in Benghazi to deliver a shipment of COVID19 vaccines as part of the Greek contribution to the city. 30.000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be added to the 200.000 doses Greece has already provided last summer to Libya.
On Wednesday, Dendias said he would travel to Benghazi where to hold talks with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aqila Saleh, as well as with other Libyan officials.
