Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias snubbed his Libyan counterpart Thursday, abandoning a planned visit to Tripoli to avoid being welcomed by the top diplomat of a government allied with arch rival Turkey.

Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush was left waiting on the tarmac at Tripoli airport when Dendias refused to disembark from his plane and instead flew on to second city Benghazi, where a rival administration holds sway.

Dendias' visit to the divided North African nation comes after Libya's Tripoli-based government signed a deal with Ankara over exploration for Mediterranean oil and gas that is bitterly contested by Athens.

Mangoush had been waiting on the tarmac to welcome Dendias "in keeping with diplomatic norms", a statement from her ministry said.

But "in a surprising and insulting move, the Greek minister refused to disembark from his plane and left without any clarifications," it added.

Mangoush's ministry said it would take "appropriate diplomatic measures" in response.

Shortly afterwards, it recalled its ambassador from Athens and summoned his Greek counterpart in Tripoli, government spokesman Mohamad Hamouda said.

Built on a 2019 border deal between Tripoli and Ankara, the energy exploration agreement signed last month angered Greece, Egypt and Cyprus which argue that neither side has a right to drill in those areas.

The rival administration which holds sway in Benghazi also condemned the deal, insisting the Tripoli-based government of Abdulhamid Dabaiba no longer has a mandate to rule or sign international agreements.

Athens blamed the incident on Tripoli, where Dendias had been scheduled to meet the head of Libya's Presidential Council, Mohamed Menfi, without meeting members of the executive, according to the Greek foreign ministry.

But their meeting was "cancelled as the Libyan foreign ministry reneged on an agreement" that he would not meet Mangoush, according to a statement by the Greek foreign ministry.

The Libyan ministry said Dendias had been invited in response to a request from Athens, "despite (him) taking offensive positions... and making unbalanced statements about Libya's sovereignty and its right to establish relations that meet the hopes of its people".

After the signing of the hydrocarbons deal in October, Dendias had said it "threatens stability and security" in the region, speaking from Cairo which also opposes Dbeibah.

His office said Thursday the remainder of his trip, in the eastern city of Benghazi, would continue as planned.

Dendias later tweeted a picture of himself being received at Benghazi airport, saying his visit there would "be carried out normally".