Greek foreign minister meets Libyan strongman

Greece’s Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis travelled to Benghazi, Libya, and met with the head of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, known as the strongman of Libya, as reported on July 7th by Africa News.

Once considered an ally of Greece, Haftar’s relationship with the country has soured in recent months. The decline was in part due to a massive influx of migrant arrivals from eastern Libya.

Gerapetritis’ visit is due to resume talks on relations with Libya in an effort to prevent further complications under the Turkey-Libya memorandum framework and to manage migrant flows in Greece.

Following the meeting, Gerapetritis also met with General Haftar’s son, Belkacem Haftar, who is responsible for the rebuilding and reconstruction of Libya.

Belkacem Haftar has extended an invitation to Greek businesses to participate in Libya’s growth. On July 15th, Gerapetritis will visit Tripoli to hold a meeting with officials.

Libya has faced a tumultuous time after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed Muammar Gaddafi. The country then split apart with rival administrations in the east and west, backed by a web of rogue militias.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government is based in Tripoli, and its rival administration in Eastern Libya is controlled by a military commander, Khalifa Haftar.

Africa News, Maghrebi.org