Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, in an interview with protothema.gr, stressed that “ we have never abandoned Libya; on the contrary, we have tried to restore balance in our foreign policy.”

He noted that Greece has reactivated its consulate in Benghazi and its embassy in Tripoli to establish a foundation of diplomatic trust. “ Libya is a country that is very important for Greece,” he emphasised.

Gerapetritis stated that he will visit Benghazi on July 6 and Tripoli on July 15. He also reiterated that the Turkish-Libyan Memorandum of Understanding, regardless of who ratifies it, is by definition invalid and null and void.

He further underlined the importance of the migration issue for Greece. “ The more instability we see in Africa, the more the Southern Corridor from Libya will be activated,” he said, adding that “ migration is an issue we are actively managing.”

Gerapetritis emphasised that Greece “ has not lost the Libyan game” and continues to be “ at the forefront of meaningful negotiations.” He added, “ I will ask both sides in Libya to begin discussions on the delimitation of maritime zones.”

Regarding the marine parks in the Ionian and South Aegean, he indicated that announcements would be forthcoming. He also referenced Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ statement concerning the establishment of 8,000 square kilometres of marine parks in the Aegean Sea. “ This park is being designed based purely on environmental criteria; it is not a geopolitical park; it is an environmental park,” he noted.

On relations with the United States, he said that Greece maintains strong diplomatic channels with the new administration as well. “ I believe I must be one of the foreign ministers who has held the most extensive discussions with the U.S. Secretary of State. In the past two weeks, I’ve spoken with 16 foreign ministers from around the region. I’ve spoken with all the Arab counterparts. Greece has diplomatic capital because it is credible and delivers.”

Asked why the Mitsotakis-Erdoğan meeting was extended, he responded that Greece and Türkiye have not yet reached the level where they can address major issues, such as the delimitation of maritime zones.