ATHENS: The EU must not look “weak” in enforcing a UN arms embargo on Libya, the Greek government said Friday after recent naval incidents involving Turkey.
The embargo was agreed amid efforts to stem the conflict which has racked Libya since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, but Western efforts to enforce it have met limited success.
“We cannot take decisions, and then look weak in enforcing them,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
He made the remarks at Wednesday’s European People’s Party teleconference and they were quoted by government spokesman Stelios Petsas on Friday.
The Greek call came after NATO launched an official investigation into a naval incident in the Mediterranean between alliance members France and Turkey that has infuriated Paris.
France said one of its ships was subjected to radar targeting by Turkish frigates as it sought to inspect a Tanzanian-flagged cargo vessel suspected of carrying arms to Libya.
A Greek navy vessel was last week also prevented from inspecting the same freighter by its Turkish military escort.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has caused repeated unease at NATO with Turkey’s interventions on Syria and Libya and the contentious purchase from Moscow of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles.
But Turkey’s strategic position between Europe and the Middle East, commanding the southern shores of the Black Sea, make it an important ally.
After months of diplomatic wrangling the European Union set up its own maritime mission, Operation Irini, to try to halt the flow of arms to Libya.
But Irini has struggled for resources and this week EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was forced to make a fresh appeal to member states for ships.
Greece urges EU not to be ‘weak’ on Libya after naval tension
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Greece urges EU not to be ‘weak’ on Libya after naval tension
- Kyriakos Mitsotakis: ‘We cannot take decisions, and then look weak in enforcing them’
- The Greek call came after NATO launched an official investigation into a naval incident in the Mediterranean between alliance members France and Turkey
20 nations back Somalia sovereignty, condemn Israeli FM visit to Somaliland as illegal: joint statement
RIYADH: More than twenty nations have reaffirmed Somalia’s sovereignty and denounced the recent visit of Israel’s foreign minister to Somaliland, a separatist region of Somalia, according to a joint statement issued early on Friday.
The nations dismissed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, reaffirmed Somalia’s territorial integrity, and urged Israel to revoke its recognition of Somaliland immediately.
The 21 nations are Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djabouti, Egypt, The Gambia, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, and Turkiye. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an international body representing most Muslim-majority nations, also endorsed the statement.
The nations condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visit to Somaliland on Tuesday, days after Israel became the only country to formally recognize the break-away region of Somalia.
The statement said that encouraging “secessionist agendas are unacceptable and risk exacerbating tensions in an already fragile region” and praised Somalia’s commitment to peaceful international engagement and adherence to international law.
On Tuesday Saar wrote on X: “We are determined to vigorously advance relations between Israel and Somaliland,” alongside images of him meeting the Somaliland leader at the presidential palace.
Saar said Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, had accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make an official visit to Israel.
Somaliland has denied recognition allows for Israel to establish military bases there or for the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza. Israel has advocated for what Israeli officials describe as voluntary Palestinian migration from Gaza.
* With Reuters
