Greece on Friday enforced a three-month freeze on asylum claims from migrants arriving by boat from North Africa, to stem a surge from Libya that the government has called an "invasion". Plevris -- formerly a member of the far-right LAOS party and now part of Mitsotakis's New Democracy party -- has called the recent influx an "invasion from North Africa".

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis met with Eastern Libya leader Khalifa Haftar and discussed migrant flows and maritime zones.

His son, Belkacem Haftar – head of the Organization for Reconstruction and Development and the official who met with Greek Foreign Minister G. Gerapetritis last Sunday – invited the Greek Consul General in Benghazi, A. Kalognomis, to his home on Wednesday evening to discuss bilateral cooperation planning.

Greece intercepts over 500 migrants near Crete, taking emergency actions due to rising Mediterranean crossings from Libya. The influx has overwhelmed local facilities, prompting the suspension of asylum processing for three months.

In a significant shift in migration policy, Greece is implementing stringent new measures to deter irregular flows, particularly from Libya.

Authorities in eastern Libya have refused entry to three European ministers and the EU commissioner for migration on alleged entry violations.

An external explosive device most likely caused the blast that damaged Greek oil tanker Vilamoura as it was sailing off the Libyan coast last week, the vessel's Greece-based operator TMS Tankers said on Sunday,