Greece threatens to expel Libya envoy over Turkey deal

Greece's foreign minister on Monday threatened to expel the Libyan ambassador to Athens unless she provided details of a military deal that Tripoli signed with Ankara last week.

"Unless (ambassador Maiza Gzllal) brings us the agreement, on Friday (she) will be declared persona non grata and will leave," Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told Skai TV, adding that the deal was being "concealed" from Greece.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the weekend also said Athens would seek support from NATO over the military deal signed by Turkey and Libya's UN-recognised government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week met with the head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), Prime Minister Fayed al-Sarraj, to sign agreements on security and military cooperation, as well as maritime jurisdictions.
Greece last week expressed its dissatisfaction with the accord and summoned Gzllal as well as the Turkish ambassador to ask for information on its content.

Libya has been mired in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE back Khalifa Haftar, a military strongman in eastern Libya who launched an offensive in April in a bid to seize Tripoli from fighters loyal to the GNA.

Turkey and Qatar openly support his rival Sarraj.

Located in the southeastern Mediterranean, Greece -- a NATO member like Turkey -- maintains a delicate relationship with its neighbour, which has become a gateway to Europe with thousands of asylum-seekers flocking to the Greek islands.