Greece calls for a place on Libya peace summit table in Berlin

File image of German Chancellor Angela Merkel with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a conference in June last year. Ms Merkel announced on Saturday that a summit on Libya would be held in the German capital and that the United Nations would lead the talks. Photo: WikiCommons/EPP

15 January 2020 11:01am

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Greece is calling for a place at diplomatic summit on Libya that is to be held in Berlin on 19 January.

A Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said at a media briefing on Tuesday that Greece was at the centre of developments in Libya and should have a place on the summit that was announced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday.

“Nobody can say that Greece is absent, but instead it is at the centre of developments. We want to be involved in any initiative in the search for a political solution,” he said.

Mr Petsas was echoing Prime Minister’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis statements at the beginning of the month for a place for Greece on any conference to discuss peace in the bitterly divided north African nation.

Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean rose when Turkey and Libya reached an agreement delimiting maritime zones between the two countries. The agreement also opened the way for Turkish military aid and expertise to support the UN-recognised government in Tripoli

Ekathemerini, quoting news agency Reuters, reported that the summit in Berlin would coincide with a visit to the city by Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan on 19 January.

“Erdogan’s presence is seen as essential to the success of any conference on Libya, since Ankara’s decision to deploy military advisers and possibly troops there has made it a major player in the country’s long-running civil war,” Reuters reported.

Russia has been offering support to forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar who are fighting the government in Tripoli.