Greece and Libya agree new deal to address irregular migration

The Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and General Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army have agreed on a deal wherein Greece will provide specialist training for Haftar’s officers to better tackle illegal immigration from Libya’s northern coast to Europe.

According to Libya Review on July 23rd, Greece will be training Libyan coast guard units in visit, board, search and seizure, and search and rescue tactics for vessels crossing the Mediterranean sea suspected of human trafficking.

Greece is showing support for the Libyan National Army with this deal, whilst also countering the maritime agreement signed in Tripoli between Turkey and Libya.

Haftar and the Libyan National Army are loyal to the government in eastern Libya, whose leader Osama Hammad recently turned away an EU migration delegation due to them visiting the internationally recognised government in western Libya. The delegation included Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris.

Migration has put a strain on both Libyan and Greek authorities, with Libya becoming a key transit route into Europe and a recent surge of migrants landing in Crete according to the Libya Review.

The Greek response to this and the snub from Hammad was to suspend asylum requests from those crossing the Mediterranean.

It was reported on July 2nd that Greece had deployed two naval frigates to deter and surveil irregular migrant crossings.

The deal is a sign that the relations between Greece and the eastern government of Libya are improving after these tensions between the nations.

As well as the specialist training, Haftar has asked for the repair of ageing coast guard ships and the provision of multipurpose patrol vehicles.

The resources Haftar has requested as part of the deal are aimed at securing the Libyan border with Sudan and Egypt, where an armed militia seized a strategic zone on June 11th.

Libya Review/Maghrebi