Mitsotakis to visit Libya next week

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is planning a visit to Libya next week as Athens appears to be ready to fully restore its relations with the North African country.

Greece appears to be ready to claim a role in the future of the country for geostrategic interests.

According to sources used by To Vima, the visit of the Prime Minister is expected to take place at the beginning of next week (the final date will be set within the next 24 hours).

Mitsotakis' visit follows the recent telephone conversation he had with the new Prime Minister of Libya, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

It is also recalled that the former Libyan ambassador to Athens, Mohamed al-Menfi, has taken over the presidency of the Presidential Council of the new Government of National Unity (GNU).

Mitsotakis will be accompanied in Tripoli by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who has taken on an important part in the war torn country's recovery.

Dendias also recently met with UN Special Envoy Jan Kubiš.

Turkey has growing influence in the country and in November 2019 signed an illegal memorandum with the Muslim Brotherhood Government of National Accords to delimitate their maritime space while stealing Greece's sovereign rights.

The memorandum received no international recognition because of its illegality and has been mostly forgotten about because of the failure to implement this irredentist ambition against Greece.

Instead, the provocative attempt to steal Greece's sovereign rights turned out to be an own goal for Turkey as it forced Athens to become involved in the Libyan quagmire that it was previously uninvolved in.

Since then, Greece supported the Libyan National Army against Turkish-backed Muslim Brotherhood jihadists and Syrian mercenaries.

Greece also participated in events to force the Tripoli government, whose mandate to rule by the United Nations expired in December 2017, to absolve and form a committee with views of elections at the end of the year.

At the same time, work has already begun on the reopening of the Greek embassy in Tripoli.

The Greek diplomat selected for the position is expected to go to the capital of the North African country a few days before the Prime Minister's visit.

READ MORE: Why Greece is changing its Libyan strategy and what is Turkey’s role.