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 Government of National Unity (GNU) 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.

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

Shortly afterwards, it recalled its ambassador from Athens and summoned the Greek Chargé d' Affaires in Tripoli, government spokesman Mohamad Hamouda said.

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 also met with GNU Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba, who confirmed that "mutual respect is the basis of the diplomatic relationship with the state of Greece," adding that "such behavior towards the state of Libya and its sovereignty will not be allowed".