The Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric praised the efforts of the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily and his keenness to settle the Libyan crisis.
In a press statement, Dujarric indicated that the United Nations is “working closely with Egypt to reach a solution to the Libyan crisis.” He also expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian role in bringing calm to the situation in Libya.
Notably, the Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias received his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry in Athens to discuss international and regional developments in Libya, the Middle East, and the east Mediterranean.
Dendias said in a tweet that he discussed “further strengthening Greek-Egyptian strategic relations in a wide range of areas, including economy, investments, energy, and climate change.”
In October, Libya and Turkey signed a series of economic agreements that included potential energy exploration in maritime areas.
The agreements will allow for oil and gas exploration in Libyan waters, and come three years after the two countries signed a maritime border deal, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said after signing the MoU in Tripoli.
Greece notified the UN secretary-general that the current Libyan government in Tripoli has no right to proceed with any agreement that binds subsequent, democratically elected governments.
During a joint press conference with Shoukry in October, Dendias accused Turkey of exploiting “the turbulent situation in Libya to further destabilize security in the Mediterranean region, and establish a regional hegemony.”
The MoU allows Turkish companies to carry out exploratory drilling for oil and natural gas. “The agreement will allow for oil and gas exploration in Libyan waters, and come three years after the two countries signed a maritime border deal, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said after signing the MoU in Tripoli.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
