Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis on Friday received the visiting speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa, with diplomatic sources later revealing that both sides cited the proximity of the countries as necessitating the continuation of a “sincere dialogue and cooperation on a range of issues”.

Gerapetritis earlier referred to Greece’s substantial contribution, as he said, as an EU member-state and elected member of the UN Security Council, towards a definitive resolution to the political strife in Libya through the holding of free and fair elections without external interference. The goal, he added, is to form a representative government.

Turning to the most pressing issue that continues to cast an ominous shadow over bilateral relations, namely, the controversial 2019 Libya-Turkey agreement to delimitate maritime zones, Gerapetritis reiterated that Athens considers the latter as baseless, invalid and illegal – a view he said is also the EU’s position.

Additionally, he referred to the steps taken following his visits to Benghazi and Tripoli, which he said created a positive momentum in bilateral relations.

Among others, he said Greece has agreed to train Libyan coast guard personnel and new recruits, now and in the near future. The Greek foreign minister stressed the importance of controlling irregular migration flows emanating from eastern Libya and attempting to reach Greek territory, which mostly involves Crete.

He also cited the launch of a direct air link with Libya, which comes ahead of a Greek business mission that is slated to visit Benghazi in early 2026.