Libyan General Khalifa Haftar has landed in Athens, according to reports. He is expected to see PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

His plane arrived in Athens under total secrecy at 19:30, while it is not known if he will stay in Athens. A delegation of Greek officials received him at the tarmac.

Earlier, Libyan media broke the news of the sudden arrival of Haftar in Athens, with the Greek government neither confirming nor denying the information. Athens’ move is seen by analysts as a diplomatic boost to Greece’s non-invitation at the Berlin conference.

Haftar’s arrival in Athens comes just two days before the Berlin International Conference on Libya.

According to updated information, Haftar will spend the night in Athens and meet on Friday morning with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Parliament. Khalifa Haftar is under heavy guard by the Greek special police forces (EKAM) and the Counter-Terrorism Unit.