PM to Politico: Greece wants to be included in Libya talks

Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated Athens’ request to be included in any new round of talks concerning the situation in Libya, noting that it was wrong to be excluded in the discussions held in Berlin last week.

“I had a very honest discussion with Chancellor [Angela] Merkel,” he told Politico’s Playbook. “I think it was a mistake that Greece was not invited.”

“I want to be very clear: Greece is the closest neighbor to Libya, it’s a pillar of stability … We’re not part of the problem, we’re part of the solution,” he added, noting that the issue is not limited to internal power struggles in Libya.

Mitsotakis raised the issue of the Libyan-Turkish agreement on the delimitation of maritime zones, saying it is “an agreement that we consider completely illegal.”

Asked about Turkish intentions to drill in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, Politico quoted him as saying: “It’s time for Europe to pay a little more attention to what’s happening in our corner of the world.”

As for migration, the prime minister said Athens is waiting for the new proposal by the European Commission.

Athens will then seek financial support and speed up the processing of asylum requests, which they have been pilling up as a result of the previous administration’s delays, he told Politico.

As far as Turkey’s role is concerned, Mitsotakis said that if Ankara wants more aid to tackle migration, “they need to keep their end of the bargain, which means limiting the [migrant] flows to minimum, that they eradicate smugglers networks, and don’t use this problem as geopolitical leverage to put more pressure on Europe. That’s an unacceptable approach.”