Greece FM Gerapetritis meets Libyan strongman Haftar in Benghazi

Greece’s Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis travelled on Sunday to Benghazi, Libya, and met with the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of eastern Libya.

Once considered an ally of Greece, Hifter’s relationship with the country has soured in recent months.

The shift is largely attributed to a spike in migrant arrivals from eastern Libya.

Gerapetritis’ visit is set to resume talks on relations with Libya in an effort to prevent complications under the Turkey-Libya Memorandum framework and to manage migrant flows, at a time when the internal situation in the North African country remains extremely fluid and volatile.

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

Belkacem Hifter has extended an invitation to Greek businesses to participate in the initiative.

On July 15, Gerapetritis will visit Tripoli to hold meetings with officials from the Tripoli-based authorities.

Libya plunged into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed Muammar Gadhafi.

The country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by a web of rogue militias.

The government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is based in Tripoli and its rival administration in eastern Libya controlled by military commander Khalifa Haftar.