SYRIZA: Türkiye-Italy-Libya cooperation summit a diplomatic defeat for Athens
Greece’s opposition SYRIZA party has described the Türkiye-Italy-Libya Cooperation Summit, held today in Istanbul, as a diplomatic setback for the Mitsotakis government.
In a written statement, SYRIZA criticized Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s foreign policy, stating:
“The tripartite summit between Libya, Italy, and Türkiye is yet another diplomatic defeat for a Greek government that acts without a cohesive national strategy, reduced to the role of a passive observer on the international stage.”
The statement referenced Mitsotakis’s May meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, during which he claimed to have reached agreements on multiple issues. SYRIZA argued that the deepening Turkish investments in Italy’s defense industry and Italy’s direct cooperation with Türkiye and Libya’s interim government on migration and regional matters prove otherwise, sidelining Greece from crucial diplomatic developments.
SYRIZA further warned that Greece is increasingly isolated in the Eastern Mediterranean, while Türkiye consolidates its position as a regional power broker.
The party called on the government to:
- Formulate a comprehensive national strategy for the Eastern Mediterranean.
- Push the European Union to re-engage diplomatically in resolving the Libya crisis.
The summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, brought together Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh at the Dolmabahçe Working Office in Istanbul. The closed-door meetings were attended by key Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Intelligence Chief İbrahim Kalın, and Chief Foreign Policy Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
