Hatzidakis on the Turkish–Libyan memorandum: “It has no force” – “How credible are our Libyan interlocutors?”

Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said the Turkish–Libyan memorandum “has no force”, while admitting that its approval by Libya’s House of Representatives “is not pleasant news”. In an interview on Action24 television on the evening of Tuesday, October 20, he also raised the question of how credible Athens’ Libyan interlocutors are.

“Tonight a joint statement was issued by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, who speak as if they were Greek on this particular issue. They repeat the position of the European Commission, declare their support for Greece and Cyprus and make absolutely clear that this has no force,” he said, referring to the joint statement.

“What were we discussing then?”

“You know that there is a peculiar situation in Libya. There are two governments, one in eastern Libya and one in the west. It is no secret that in recent years we have been in contact with both versions of Libya,” Hatzidakis noted. “We were in some exploratory contacts on the delimitation of the EEZ. A question I ask is how credible are some interlocutors who, while discussing the delimitation of the EEZ between Greece and Libya, at the same time recognise that it does not exist. What were we discussing then?”

Egypt, Italy, F-35, Belharra and the cable

The deputy prime minister answered the opposition’s criticism by listing what he considers the government’s successes: the EEZ delimitation with Egypt and Italy, maritime spatial planning, the marine parks in the Aegean, two agreements with a mutual defence assistance clause with France, and the upgrading of relations with the United States. “We have secured that we will get F-35s, while the Turks beg and do not get them. The agreements on the Rafale have advanced. We have already received the first Belharra frigate. Within a month or two the second one is coming,” he said.

“The cable will go ahead. It is a European project and Greece, without shouting and fuss, will insist on its policy,” he added. “I wonder, all those who criticise tonight over the null Turkish–Libyan memorandum, do they question even one of these national successes of recent years?” Earlier, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis had spoken by phone with his Cypriot and Egyptian counterparts to coordinate the three countries’ response.