On Monday, the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Ageela Saleh, met with Greek Ambassador to Libya Nikolaos Garilidis to discuss recent developments and potential solutions to the country’s prolonged political crisis.
The meeting was held in the city of Qubbah and included the presence of Greek Consul General Agapios Kalognomis and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdelhadi Al-Hwaij, representing the eastern-based government.
The talks focused on the path toward resolving Libya’s institutional deadlock through the formation of a unified national government and holding presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to Saleh’s media office, the discussion emphasized the need for a single executive authority capable of overseeing the electoral process throughout the country.
The meeting comes ahead of a planned visit to Libya by Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis at the end of June.
According to Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Gerapetritis is expected to meet with Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbaiba in Tripoli, Speaker Ageela Saleh in the east, and the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Athens is closely watching the shifting dynamics in eastern Libya, particularly regarding maritime agreements. Greece is concerned that the eastern authorities, led by Haftar and aligned with Saleh, may be open to negotiating a maritime border agreement with Turkey. The newspaper reported that Haftar appears more receptive to such talks as Turkey intensifies its outreach in the region.
On June 2, Libya’s House of Representatives formed a technical committee to examine the maritime agreement proposal submitted by the eastern-based government under Prime Minister Osama Hammad. The move comes amid growing coordination between eastern Libyan officials and Turkish authorities.
In April, General Saddam Haftar, Chief of Staff of Libya’s ground forces, traveled to Ankara and met with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler. In May, Libyan National Army units took part in joint military exercises with Turkish forces, a development seen by Greece as a potential threat to its maritime interests.