The Greek foreign ministry on Friday announced the expulsion of Libyan ambassador accredited to the country, following his failure to deliver a controversial "memorandum of understanding" signed by Turkey and the interim Libyan government to etch out exclusive economic maritime zones in the central and eastern Mediterranean.
The abrupt signing and subsequent "fast track" ratification, all over the past few days, by Turkey's grand assembly but only by the "presidential council" in Tripoli of the Government of National Accord, generated a bevy of angry and derisive responses by Greece, as well as international, European and regional condemnation.
Press reports later added that the envoy was given 72 hours in which to leave the country, while foreign ministry sources said the decision does not necessarily mean an interruption in diplomatic relations between Greece and the war-ravaged North African country.
In a related development, Athens has invited the speaker of the Libyan house of representatives to officially visit the country. The latter is an office-holder supported by Gen. Khalifa Haftar, whose forces are based in eastern Libyan and who control some three-fourths of the country. Haftar is the biggest rival of the Tripoli-based GNA and its Islamist allies.
