Greece has invited Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tripoli to begin talks on demarcating exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said late on Wednesday, in a move aimed at improving strained relations.

"We invite – and I think you may soon see progress in this area – we invite the Tripoli government to discuss with Greece the delimitation of a continental shelf and an exclusive economic zone," Mitsotakis told Skai television.

Relations between the two countries have been tense since Tripoli signed a controversial 2019 maritime agreement with Turkey, Greece’s long-standing rival, mapping out a sea area near the Greek island of Crete.

Greece, earlier this year, launched a new tender to develop hydrocarbon resources off Crete, which Libya has objected to, saying some blocks overlap its maritime zones.

Mitsotakis said communication with Libya had been difficult due to its political divisions, with the country split for more than a decade between rival administrations in Tripoli and Benghazi. 

He added that Greece was determined to continue talking to both sides.

Athens has also sought closer cooperation with Tripoli to stem a surge in migrant arrivals from Libya to Greek islands such as Gavdos and Crete. 

Greece recently passed legislation barring migrants arriving by sea from Libya from applying for asylum.

Earlier this month, EU Migration Commissioner Ylva Johansson and ministers from Italy, Malta, and Greece were denied entry to eastern Libya after meeting the Tripoli-based government that controls the west.

Copied