Greek minister to join 5-way meeting in Cairo focusing on Libya

Against the backdrop of unfolding events in Libya, the foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, Nikos Dendias, Nikos Christodoulides and Sameh Shoukry respectively, will on Wednesday hold a trilateral summit in Cairo with the participation of their French and Italian counterparts Jean-Yves Le Drian and Luigi Di Maio. 

The five foreign ministers will discuss how to coordinate their moves regarding security issues in the Eastern Mediterranean, and Libya in particular.

Libya was the focus of talks on Tuesday between Di Maio and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Istanbul, at a time when Rome and Ankara have conflicting interests in the North African country.

Libya will also be on the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Istanbul, where they will attend the inauguration ceremony of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline that will also supply Greece.

According to diplomatic sources, the “illegal” maritime pact between Turkey and the Tripoli-based government has exacerbated the civil war in Libya, dampening hopes that a resolution to the crisis can be achieved any time soon.

The pact, the same sources said, “undermines peace and stability and is an attempt to usurp the sovereign rights of states in the region.”

For his part, Erdogan told reporters on Tuesday the regional alliances that have been created in the Eastern Mediterranean challenge the vital interests of Turkey, adding that the country will not remain idle.

He also said Turkey’s involvement in Libya is a response to these alliances, although he did not name the countries involved in the alliances.