Turkey blackmailed the recognized Libyan government (GNA), which controls Tripoli and only swathes of land in the country's west, to agree to a much-maligned agreement attempting to delimitate exclusive economic maritime zones between the two nonabutting states, Greek diplomatic sources said on Thursday in Athens.
Turkey blackmailed the recognized Libyan government (GNA), which controls Tripoli and only swathes of land in the country's west, to agree to a much-maligned agreement attempting to delimitate exclusive economic maritime zones between the two nonabutting states, Greek diplomatic sources said on Thursday in Athens.
The same sources cited evidence, in Athens' hands, showing weapons transports from Turkey to a Libyan port controlled by the GNA. The latter is locked in a conflict with a military and political coalition based in eastern Libya that is led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar.
According to reports, Athens has the date of the delivery and the name of the vessel used to transports the arms to the GNA.
The reports comes hours before the EU Council will broach the contentious Turkey-Libyan agreement, in essence, two memoranda of understanding that, among others, draw lines in the eastern Mediterranean between the land masses of North Africa (Libya) and Asia Minor (Turkey) that "erase" all of the islands in the sea, including Crete and Cyprus.
In a related development, the president of Libya's house of representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa, was due to arrive in Athens on Thursday, where he will be received by Greek Parliament President Costas Tassoulas at the Parliament building, a high-profile meeting that will also be attended by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.
Issa, an ally of Gen. Haftar, has trashed and called the agreement signed by the GNA with Turkey as "illegal", reminding that it has not been tabled, let alone ratified by Libyan lawmakers.