In a new phase of tension, the Greek -biblies are entering as well as The Tripoli Government has made an official verbal diasted to the UNwith which he directly challenges Greek sovereign rights south of Crete. Libya cites the illegal Turkolibyan memorandum, presents maps that “erase” the Greek influence of the islands and accuses Greece of unilateral actions.
Athens replies that it rejects any action based on “non -existent and invalid agreements”, heralds a letter to the UN and argues that it will continue “to exercise its sovereign rights”. However, the essence of the case highlights a more complex problem: the lack of timely and decisive foreign policy.
Gerapetritis: Diplomatic embarrassment instead of strategy
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis appears to be watching delay developments. While Libya “lifts” its claims to the UN, the Greek Foreign Minister is limited to technical proposals for working groups and general calls for dialogue, either from Benghazi or in view of his visit to Tripoli.
Greek diplomacy seems to be crawling behind the events, suffering from statements and letters without a dynamic footprint or European mobilization. The strategy of “calm waiting” has already cost other fronts – such as in Greek -Turkish – and now seems to be in the Libyan field, while critical rights are at stake south of Crete.
First formal imprinting of claims by Libya
Libyan decoration is not a mere diplomatic protest. It is the first time that Tripoli clearly reflects in a UN document its position that the maritime plots set by Greece fall into “Libyan Sea”. He uses the Turkish -tourious memorandum as a base and attempts to perform on the international stage.
The maps that accompany the decoration show boundaries with intermittent lines that violate the influence of Crete, Gavdos and other small islands, forming a geopolitical image reminiscent of the Turkish “blue homeland”.
The embarrassment of Athens
Although diplomatic sources say the Greek response to the UN will be “categorical”, the political leadership of the Foreign Ministry seems to have been caught in sleep. Mr Gerapetritis’ visit to Tripoli looks more like a hand -made appointment than a high strategy traffic. Hagi or dialogue declarations look more like medium -term pious wishes than direct answers.
Even the juncture proves problematic. While the US is expanding its presence through energy companies in the south of Crete, Athens does not seem to take advantage of its diplomatic time to secure regional support or prejudice to such moves such as Libyan decoration.
Fax’s foreign policy
As diplomatic observers comment, the policy of notes and verbal answers is not enough. Libya, although divided and politically unstable, takes advantage of the gap to fix the Turkolibyan narrative in an international fora. The Greek reaction seems technically sufficient, but politically under the circumstances.
George Gerapetritis is called upon to prove that he is not a Minister of “handling” but a politician with strategic thinking. If the absence of initiatives continues, it will not only be Crete that will be in danger of the degradation of influence, but as a whole, the Greek sovereignty in the southern Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.