Libyan Presidential Council leader Mohamed Menfi announced on Thursday that he had communicated with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify the reasons for the cancellation of its foreign minister’s visit to Tripoli.

Menfi said in a statement that the Presidential Council “is keen on continuing friendly relations with all countries with which the State of Libya has diplomatic relations and seeks to strengthen them on the basis of mutual respect and international rules governing diplomatic work, to avoid everything that obstructs and disturbs the peace of those relations, and Greece is at the forefront of these countries".

He continued: "We are keen to remove all causes of misunderstanding, avoid any diplomatic incidents, and reject any escalatory steps."

Cancelled Visit

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias snubbed his Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush on Thursday, abandoning a planned visit to Tripoli to avoid meeting with her.

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

According to Greek media, Menfi had requested that Dendias make a stop in Tripoli to meet with him on Wednesday.

Dendias agreed on the condition that only Menfi and no other person would be present.

When the aircraft landed in Tripoli, however, Government of National Unity Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush was waiting to receive him, at which point Dendias decided to depart without meeting with Menfi.

Greek Foreign Ministry sources spoke of a diplomatic “foul,” saying that Libyan authorities had hoped to “force” a meeting, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

Mangoush responded by saying her ministry would take "appropriate diplomatic measures".

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