His irritation is expressed in the official statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Libya for searching for hydrocarbons south and southwest of Crete, accusing Greece of exploiting the Libyan crisis.

In a statement, the Libyan Foreign Ministry claims that at a time when the Mediterranean should “be a sea of ​​peace and development,” Greece is trying to “take advantage of the Libyan crisis and force the demarcation of the maritime border.” border between the two countries through the conclusion of contracts for the exploration of hydrocarbons to the south and south-west of Crete in the area disputed between us.

The Libyan Foreign Ministry says that after confirming the information about the launch of an investigation by the Sanco Swift vessel on behalf of foreign companies that have signed contracts with Greece, it “will begin to protect Libya’s maritime borders and sovereign rights in its maritime areas with all its might.” strong legal and diplomatic means.”

“Chess” with NAVTEX

It is recalled that at the end of November, Athens expanded the ExxonMobil seismic survey area south of Crete with the help of NAVTEX.

Such as “K” was written, the expansion is being undertaken in a very specific context. At first, the US consortium pressured the Energy Department to expand the area, as it is believed that there are opportunities for significant natural gas deposits in the south-west of Crete.

However, mostly at the geopolitical level, Athens wants to signal its intention to negotiate with Libya on the delimitation of maritime zones over territory that may hide resources that will be exploited in a mutually beneficial way for both countries.

Of course, the Greek side is wary of the possibility of Ankara exerting pressure on the current, interim, but very active Tripoli government on issues not under its jurisdiction, such as licensing the Turkish Oil Company (TRAO) for investigations under the Turkish-Libyan memorandum. The fact that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ contacts with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken preceded the extension of the investigation suggests that Washington knows what Athens is planning and their logic to act in this way. According to some estimates, the very initiative of ExxonMobil to ask Athens to immediately promote research in this area indicates the attitude of the Americans towards the Greek project. There is a perception in Athens that the Tripoli administration and the Turkish government are likely to accuse Greece of having invaded the non-demarcation zone.

In addition, Athens recently officially reported this to the UN. Turkish-Libyan memorandum which was signed between Anchor and his government Tripoli 3 October.

In this context, the tension caused by the visit of Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to Libya and what followed.