On 22 October, Libyan National Army (LNA) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Khaled Haftar arrived in Athens for an official working visit. He was accompanied by several senior LNA officers, including Vice Admiral Shuaib al-Saber Mahmoud who is the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Naval Forces.
On 23 October, Khaled Haftar was met by General Dimitrios Choupis, Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, at the headquarters of the Greek Armed Forces. Thereafter, Khaled Haftar was received by the Greek Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias for an office call. Allegedly, Haftar reassured his Greek interlocutors that the House of Representatives (HoR) will – for now – not ratify the 2019 Libya-Turkey maritime MoU, which is strongly rejected by Greece, the EU and by Egypt.
After the office call, the meeting between Haftar and Choupis and their delegations took place. Discussions focused on strengthening military and security cooperation between the LNA and the Greek Armed Forces and exchanging views on issues of mutual interest. Both sides emphasized the importance of advancing shared security and stability efforts in the region.
After the talks, Choupis hosted an official lunch for Khaled Haftar and his delegation where the Greek service chiefs from the Army, navy and air force also participated.