Greece’s Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, has accused the Libyan authorities of deliberately directing waves of migrants toward southern Greece, warning that the strategy mirrors past tactics used by Turkey at the Greek-Turkish border.
Floridis said in recent remarks that “Libya appears to be adopting Turkey’s playbook by using migrants as tools of pressure against Greece.” He warned that this escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability and security in the eastern Mediterranean.
According to the minister, Greek coastal and border authorities have recorded a sharp increase in irregular migration attempts originating from Libya’s western coast, particularly toward the Peloponnese and other parts of southern Greece.
“These are not random incidents,” Floridis claimed. “This is an organized and deliberate attempt to destabilize Greece and test European border defenses.”
A Broader Trend of Political Exploitation
The Justice Minister’s remarks come amid heightened tensions in the Mediterranean region, where human smuggling networks are reportedly thriving due to weak governance and ongoing conflict in Libya.
Floridis called for greater European Union coordination and support to address what he described as “a hybrid threat involving the instrumentalization of human suffering.”
He also reiterated that Greece “will not be intimidated or manipulated” by such tactics and emphasized that the country will continue to defend its sovereignty and uphold international law.
Greek officials have in the past blamed Turkey for similar actions, particularly during the 2020 migrant crisis when thousands of asylum seekers attempted to storm Greece’s land and sea borders. Now, the same concerns are being raised about Libya.
