Greece is pushing Libya's eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar to do more to stop migrants from leaving his coastline, as ar...

Greece is pushing Libya's eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar to do more to stop migrants from leaving his coastline, as arrivals to Crete have surged to levels that are alarming Greek officials heading into peak tourist season. Saddam Haftar, son of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Deputy Commander of the Libyan National Army, arrived in Athens on Monday for an unexpected visit. He met with Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis at the foreign ministry before being received by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion. The diplomatic language from both sides was careful, with government sources describing talks on trade, investment, and "historic ties" between Greece and Libya. Behind that framing, Greek officials made clear they are deeply frustrated with the pace of irregular crossings from eastern Libya. More than 5,600 asylum seekers were rescued between January and May 2026, with nearly two incidents per day recorded on average over the past four weeks alone. Greek officials fear the continued surge could inflame tensions on Crete during its busiest period and signal that the country's borders are increasingly hard to hold. Both Mitsotakis and Gerapetritis told Haftar directly that Greece is dissatisfied with the current level of Libyan coastline surveillance. Greek officials reminded him that Athens has been supporting eastern Libya through coast guard training and helping secure European funding for Haftar-aligned authorities, and expects more in return. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris traveled to Crete on Tuesday to inspect the reception facility in Agia and chair a coordination meeting with local officials in the Chania region, underscoring how seriously Athens is treating the situation on the ground. The visit also touched on the broader geopolitical picture. Gerapetritis pressed Haftar on Greece's priority of reaching an Exclusive Economic Zone agreement with Libya under international maritime law, and on preventing the Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum from being ratified by Libya's eastern House of Representatives. Greek officials consider ratification a direct threat to Greek interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, regardles...