Diplomatic relations between Greece and Libya were strained Thursday after Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias had a falling out with his Libyan counterpart in Tripoli, Najla al Magush, refusing to leave the plane after landing at the capital’s Mitiga International Airport.
A brief statement from the Greek Ministry said that Dendias did not want to meet his counterpart in Tripoli, although she came to meet him at the airport, after which the Greek Foreign Minister refused to leave the plane and instead traveled to Benghazi, where he met with the Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar.
«Magush tried to trick me with her presence at the airport to meet with her. As a result, I interrupted the visit in Tripoli and we flew to Benghazi, where the schedule was met,» the Greek side later said in a statement.
Dendias has also stressed that the Libyan Transitional Government has only one obligation, which is «to cooperate fully to bring the country to elections as soon as possible». «However, what is distressing is that I see that it is not doing so,» he has indicated.
Dendias was originally scheduled to meet with the chairman of Libya’s Tripoli-based Presidential Council, Mohamed Menfi. However, the meeting did not take place and Dendias had to take off for Benghazi.
According to diplomatic sources, as reported by the newspaper ‘Kathimerini’, the Libyan side refused to approve the flight plans of the plane in which Dendias was traveling, so it was finally decided to take off through the airspace of Malta.
In this way, the Foreign Ministry of the African country has deplored the action of the Greek Foreign Minister, alleging that in Tripoli they accepted, at first, to meet with him despite «the crude policies and positions» he has adopted in recent days, as reported by the daily ‘Libya Observer’.
According to the version spread by the internationally recognized Libyan government, headed by Abdelhamid Dbeibé, Al Magush was at the airport to receive Dendias as per diplomatic rules.
«However, in a surprising situation, which calls for resentment, the Greek minister refused to get off his plane and returned to his place of origin without any explanation,» it said in a statement, adding that it would take «measures to preserve the prestige and sovereignty of Libya.»
Later, Tripoli has reported that the Libyan ambassador to Greece has been summoned to consult on what happened and has also summoned the Greek chargé d’affaires in Libya to clarify the background of the incident, according to Lana news agency.
Dendias, after the disagreement with his Libyan counterpart in Tripoli, has met with deputies and members of the House of Representatives, including the Speaker of the House, Aguila Saleh Issa, in Benghazi. In doing so, she has made it clear that, despite everything, Greece seeks to collaborate with Libya for the holding of elections.
The country is divided into two administrations after the House of Representatives terminated Dbeibé’s mandate due to the postponement of the December presidential elections and appointed Fazi Bashaga.
