Greece Warns of New Libya-Crete Migrant Route

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, following the European Council meeting in Brussels, raised concerns over a new migration route forming between Eastern Libya and Crete. Alongside his Italian counterpart, Mitsotakis informed EU leaders of the increased migrant flows and emphasized the need for coordinated European action, CE Report quotes Athens-Macedonia

He welcomed the European Commission’s recognition of the risk, noting that the EU Commissioner for Migration will visit Libya in early July, following the Greek Foreign Minister’s trip with counterparts from Italy and Malta. The goal: to press Libyan authorities—both in the East and West—for tighter maritime border control.

Greece, acting independently, has already deployed ships outside Libyan territorial waters to monitor movements and coordinate with Libyan authorities to intercept boats. Mitsotakis stressed the EU would use "all measures at our disposal" with a “carrot and stick” approach to prevent this new route from becoming permanent.

On Greek-Libyan relations, Mitsotakis reaffirmed that the Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement remains “non-existent and illegal” under international law. He emphasized Greece’s sovereign rights to issue drilling permits south of Crete, noting the declared areas respect the median line. He also reiterated Greece’s ongoing offer to negotiate maritime boundaries with Libya—once it has a unified government.

Regarding Middle East tensions, Mitsotakis urged diplomatic solutions to Iran’s nuclear program and called for an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza, paired with the release of hostages. He underscored Greece’s commitment to humanitarian concerns and regional stability.