Once a close partner in North Africa, Greek-Libyan ties frayed during the civil war. Now, Athens is laying the foundations to become a key player in the country’s future.
By Eva J. Koulouriotis, The New Arab,
In a move that may have surprised many familiar with the work of the Arab League, Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit last week announced the signing of a protocol that will make Greece an observer member.
In practice, this will not translate into any significant steps, but in the language of politics it confirms that Athens is more open than ever to developing important relations with countries in the region, extending from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Gulf.
As for the legal aspects, Athens signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Arab League, which was supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the absence of objections from the other member states.
“Athens views Libya as an important part of its foreign policy, with high expectations for future relations”
It seems that Greek-Egyptian relations are the priority of this declaration. From a military point of view, the two countries share many agreements in the light of ongoing joint exercises, while political convergence is evident given their geographical proximity.
In Libya, after the fall of the former regime led by dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Greece suffered a severe economic blow in the country and closed its embassy due to rapid and unpredictable developments during the civil war.
Today, Athens views the country as an important part of its foreign policy, with high expectations for future relations.
Despite being absent during the duration of the conflict, Greek-Libya relations returned to the spotlight after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of the National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Turkey at the end of 2019.
The accord included an agreement on security and military cooperation that paved the way for Turkish military intervention and mapped out maritime borders between both countries as part of economic relations, which prompted Athens to expel the Libyan ambassador at the time.
However, the memorandum also served as a spark to revitalise Greek-Libyan diplomatic relations.
Over the past six months, the Greek foreign minister has visited various Libyan cities, including Tobruk, home to the Libyan parliament, Benghazi, the seat of General Khalifa Haftar, and Tripoli, the seat of the interim government.
Libyan officials have also visited Athens in response to repeated Greek invitations.
In April, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reopened his country’s embassy in Libya and urged a reset of relations soured by the Turkish MoU, saying, “It’s time to leave behind what has tested our relations in the past”.