Greece, Libya hold third maritime talks; Greece rejects permanent Libya‑Crete migrant route
Greece and Libya are holding a third round of technical talks in Athens on 27 July 2026 at 11:00 to delimit their exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. Greek officials stress that the delimitation will follow UNCLOS and that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis have repeatedly affirmed Greece’s intent to reach an agreement.
At the same time, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said the government will not allow a permanent migration route from Libya to Crete. He noted that sea arrivals from Libya have fallen by roughly 30 % and that new reception facilities have been completed in Agia, Chania and are under construction in Heraklion. Cooperation with Libya, Egypt and Frontex has been intensified, and the European Commission gave a positive first assessment of Greece’s implementation of the new Migration and Asylum Pact. Greece expects the first EU “return‑hub” agreements with third countries to be concluded by 2026.
Entities: Crete · European Commission · George Gerapetritis · Greece · Kyriakos Mitsotakis · Libya · Thanos Plevris
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 8 SOURCES] A third round of technical talks on delimiting the EEZ and continental shelf between Greece and Libya will be held in Athens on Monday. (new)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Sea arrivals from Libya to Crete have decreased by about 30 %. (existing)
- [● 9 SOURCES] New migrant reception structures have been completed in Agia, Chania and are under construction in Heraklion. (existing)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Greece expects to sign the first agreements on EU “return hubs” with third countries by 2026. (existing)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Arrivals of Egyptian migrants have decreased and returns have increased. (Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris)
- [● 9 SOURCES] Cooperation with Libya, Egypt and Frontex has been intensified. (Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris)
- [● 9 SOURCES] The Greek government will not allow a permanent migration route from Libya to Crete. (Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris)
- [● 9 SOURCES] The European Commission gave a positive first assessment of Greece's implementation of the new Migration and Asylum Pact. (existing)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Greece seeks delimitation of its EEZ and continental shelf with Libya in full compliance with UNCLOS. (new)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece is moving toward delimiting maritime zones with Libya. (new)
- [● 6 SOURCES] Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said the government will not allow a permanent migration route from Libya to Crete. (new)