On 17 November the diplomatic rift between Tripoli’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and Athens deepened after Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias refused to get off his plane at Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport when he spotted a GNU delegation headed by Foreign Minister Najla el-Mangoush waiting to welcome him on the runway. Dendias explained his action by stating that the initial intention was to meet Mohamed al-Menfi who has close ties to Athens as a former Libyan Ambassador to the country. He was reportedly angered at seeing his counterpart because meeting her would imply Athens recognition of the GNU. Athens — like Cairo, the conservative Gulf states, and some other international governments — has condemned the GNU because its mandate has expired and/or supports the creation of the rival administration. At the same time, however, it never cut its diplomatic ties with Tripoli because the GNU remains the only Libyan government that is recognised by the UN. The GNU Foreign Ministry released a statement calling Dendias’ snub ‘a surprising situation that calls for resentment’.

Greece dislike of the GNU stems from the multitude of agreements that it has signed with Athens’ regional rival, Türkiye, which has positioned Ankara as one of Libya’s most important economic and military partners. More specifically it strongly opposes the Libyan-Turkish agreement over the offshore Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is part of Ankara’s wider Mavi Vatan (blue homeland) (Libya Focus, October 2022) maritime policy. Adding insult to injury, Dendias continued his trip by visiting Benghazi where he met not only Aguila Saleh but also Khalifa Haftar. During their press conference — which even had a flag carrying the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) logo behind him — Dendias said that el-Mangoush had attempted a public relations stunt by trying to welcome him to Tripoli where he had only agreed to meet Mohamed al-Menfi.

One of the main takeaways from this incident is that al-Menfi — who was chosen during the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in March 2021 and was on the same list as Dbeibah to head the interim authority — has been able to sufficiently distance himself from the political struggle to be perceived as impartial by both local and foreign players. This is partially because of his strategy to maintain his position regardless of the creation of a new government or a reshuffling of the GNU cabinet. Last year al-Menfi clashed with el-Mangoush and ordered her dismissal but Dbeibah interceded and immediately reinstated her. Rumours have circulated that he was angered by el-Mangoush’s interference in last week’s visit by Dendias.