Nikos Dendias visits Tunisia after meeting with Libyan Foreign Minister

Defence Redefined

08/09/2021

The strengthening of bilateral relations, recent developments in Tunisia as well as in the wider Mediterranean region, were at the center of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’ contacts in Tunis. There, the Greek Minister was welcomed by the President of the country, Kais Saied, while later he will meet with his Tunisian counterpart, Othman Jerandi, and the Health Minister, Ali Mrabet.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that an Air Force aircraft will transport 100,000 vaccines, which will be given to the Tunisian side in order to deal with the effects of the pandemic.

According to Mr. Dendias, Greece will help Tunisia with vaccines (already sent medical equipment a few days ago) along with its effort to stabilize the country. Although Tunisia is a little further away from Libya, it is considered by Greece a neighboring country that is struggling to establish a democratic state and Greece wishes to contribute to it.

At the same time, he made it clear that unlike other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece has no hidden agenda in its relationship with Tunisia and that its only interest is stability and prosperity. Focusing on bilateral relations, Nikos Dendias spoke about the need to fully utilize their potential, noting that there is room for strengthening cooperation in the multilateral field.

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On the same wavelength, Mr. Dendias described the achievement of conditions of stability in Libya as of the utmost importance, in his statements after his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya, Najla Mohammed El Mangoush, in Athens.

As Mr. Dendias noted, the instability on the southern shore of the Mediterranean affects all the states in the region and all the states in the region must see it clearly. Therefore, he noted, Greece and the EU have a responsibility and obligation to assist in the country’s efforts to return to stability.

He also said that Greece is interested in the stabilization, development, prosperity of Libya, wanting Libya to participate in the new architecture of understanding, stability, and security that our region needs. Because geographically we are direct neighbors. 

Speaking about Greece’s moral duty to help Libya, Mr. Dendias referred to the reopening of the Greek embassy in Tripoli, the re-establishment of the consulate general in Benghazi, the donation of 200,000 vaccines to fight the coronavirus, the participation in the Tobruk station reconstruction as well as the contribution of Greece by air and water in the operation “Peace” of the European Union.

In addition, Mr. Dendias said that the most important issue for Greece is to ensure the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the country with the basic condition for holding fair elections on December 24 as provided in the resolutions of the United Nations, to elect a representative government in Libya to free itself from the burdens of the past, such as the invalid, non-existent and illegal “Turkish-Libyan Memorandum”.

A “memorandum” that, apart from the international community, is not accepted by the Libyan Parliament either. He added that holding fair elections in Libya requires the withdrawal of all foreign troops, paramilitaries, and mercenaries from the country.

Source: CNA, euronews.com

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