Libyan coast guard officers have started training on the Greek island of Crete as part of a plan to strengthen cooperation and help the two countries stem a surge in migrant arrivals, Greek sources said on Wednesday.
Relations between Greece and Libya have been strained by a maritime boundary agreement signed in 2019 between the Tripoli-based Libyan government and Turkey, Greece's long-standing foe © Mena Today
Libyan coast guard officers have started training on the Greek island of Crete as part of a plan to strengthen cooperation and help the two countries stem a surge in migrant arrivals, Greek sources said on Wednesday.
Relations between Greece and Libya have been strained by a maritime boundary agreement signed in 2019 between the Tripoli-based Libyan government and Turkey, Greece's long-standing foe.
A tender that Greece launched this year to develop hydrocarbon resources off Crete revived those tensions, while a spike in migrant flows from North Africa to Europe has prompted Athens to deploy frigates off Libya and pass legislation banning migrants arriving from Libya by sea from requesting asylum.
The division of Libya by factional conflict into eastern and western sections for over a decade has further complicated relations. Greece says it is determined to continue talking to both the Tripoli-based government and a parallel administration based in Benghazi to the east.
So far, coast guard officers from eastern Libya have been training in Greece, including areas such as patrolling and search and rescue operations. Coast guard officers from western Libya are expected to also participate in the training, the sources said.
As part of efforts to improve relations, Athens last week invited Libya's internationally recognised government in Tripoli to start talks on demarcating exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean Sea.
Missions from both countries are expected to hold talks on maritime zones in the coming months, the Greek sources said.
Reporting by Renee Maltezou
In a significant diplomatic milestone, Morocco has secured a major victory on the international stage with the United Nations Security Council endorsing its autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a move widely seen as a major setback for Algeria, which has long supported the separatist Polisario Front.
In a landmark diplomatic victory for Morocco and a stinging setback for Algeria, the United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution endorsing autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the most viable path toward resolving the decades-old conflict in Western Sahara.
Tunisian authorities on Friday ordered the suspension of the Nawaat journalists' group, which runs one of the country’s leading independent investigative media outlets, in a widening crackdown on free speech and civil society.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.