Greek authorities have started training Libyan coast guard officials on the Greek Island of Crete. The two countries are trying to strengthen bilateral ties after relations between them were strained for several years.
As part of a plan to decrease the numbers of migrant arrivals on the Greek Islands — in particular the southern island of Crete — Greece is currently hosting and training Libyan coast guard officials who are tasked with intercepting migrants at sea.
The Greek government in Athens recently deployed its own frigates off the Libyan coast to respond to this recent increase in migrant arrivals from North Africa but is now also strengthening Libyan authorities, hoping to boost cooperation between the two countries on this issue as well as a number of other policy points.
Relations between Greece and Libya have however been somewhat problematic in recent years.
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Ongoing diplomatic spat
One thorn in the side of the Libyan government is the fact that Athens is willing to deal both with Libya's official government based in Tripoli while also talking to the country's parallel administration in the eastern city of Benghazi, which is not recognized by the international community.
Greece justifies its two-pronged relations with Libya by highlighting that it needs the help of both administrations to limit the number of migrants who make it on irregular journeys towards Greek territory.
This issue also plays a role in the current training of coast guard officials in Crete: According to the Reuters news agency, officials from eastern Libya have been involved in various training units in Greece in recent days, including patrolling and search and rescue operations.
Soon, coast guard officers from western Libya are expected to join the training as well.
While the two factions are locked into sporadic conflict on the ground, their maritime officials will join together in training on Crete.
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Maritime border under dispute
Another issue that has resulted in tensions between the two countries in recent years was a 2019 maritime boundary agreement signed between the official Libyan government and Turkey, rather than Greece.
The maritime zone in question is of importance to Greece, as exploration for hydrocarbon resources is planned in that region.
Despite disagreement over the exact boundaries of that border, Greece launched a government tender earlier this year to drill for resources — attracting ire from Libya.
In an attempt to improve relations between the countries, Athens invited Libya's internationally recognized government to enter talks on demarcating exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean Sea together, which are expected to take place in the coming months.
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with Reuters