Greece’s deputy foreign minister, Alexandra Papadopoulou, traveled to Tripoli on Tuesday to maintain close contacts with Libya’s Government of National Unity, despite limited expectations for substantial progress on maritime boundary talks.
A second round of technical discussions on the delimitation of maritime zones between Greece and Libya is scheduled to take place in Tripoli on Wednesday. The talks are part of a broader effort by Athens, launched last summer, to maintain relations with both centers of power in Libya: Tripoli and Benghazi, which is led by the family of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The stated objective of the discussions is the delimitation of an Exclusive Economic Zone between Greece and Libya, an initiative announced last autumn by Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Libyan official Taher al-Baour.
Μeaningful progress would require significant changes in Libya’s positions on maritime zones, including issues linked to the 2019 Turkey-Libya memorandum and Libya’s treatment of the Gulf of Sirte in calculating maritime claims. Any eventual agreement would also require adjustments to Greece’s existing maritime claims under Law 4001/2011.
Greece previously accepted a slightly reduced effect for some islands in its partial EEZ agreement with Egypt. Papadopoulou’s visit will also address broader diplomatic communication between Athens and Tripoli.
