Libyan military and political leader Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), is due to arrive in Athens on Thursday evening, with a meeting set on Friday with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, and possibly, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The Libyan National Army is the bitter rival of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), which is recognized by the international community, on the one hand, but besieged in its seat by the LNA, on the other.
Haftar's abrupt arrival in Athens comes after a Moscow peace summit generated "mixed results" but no conclusive deal, and before he head to Germany for an international conference focusing on war-torn Libya.
The development comes amid an increasingly complicated situation in the wider region, with tension mostly fueled by Turkey, according to Athens. The latter has heatedly reacted to a Turkey-GNA deal drawing maritime borders that "erase" all islands in the eastern Mediterranean.
Both Haftar and the Greek government have angrily reacted to host Germany's snub of Greece, which was not invited to the summit.
