Athens frets at influence of Turkey on Libya

Turkey’s growing influence in Libya is reportedly worrying Athens, especially as tensions between Ankara and Benghazi have eased. This was facilitated by last September’s Storm Daniel, which led to the deaths of thousands of people in Derna and other cities in eastern Libya, prompting humanitarian aid from Turkey, which was welcomed by Benghazi. It should be noted that the Libyan parliament has not ratified the Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum, which encroaches on Greek sovereignty, and this has boosted Athens’ arguments over the agreement’s legality. The problem for Athens is the attitude of its partners toward the Turkish presence in Libya. Also under scrutiny are the recent announcements by Turkish officials about exploiting the “possibilities” offered by the Turko-Libyan Memorandum to Ankara and Tripoli for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete.