Turkey's Ambassador to Libya Kenan Yılmaz discussed reopening the consulate-general in the eastern city of Benghazi in a meeting with Libya's Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh in his hometown of al-Qubah.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) after the meeting, Ambassador Yılmaz said he visited the eastern city after receiving an invitation from Saleh, confirming that the visit was fruitful.
"During the meeting, we expressed our willingness, when conditions are suitable, to reopen our consulate-general in Benghazi, to evaluate the resumption of the Turkish Airlines flights to Benghazi and to encourage our companies to complete their unfinished projects, as well as implementing new ones," said Yılmaz.
He also said he plans to soon visit Benghazi, stressing the importance of achieving Libya's national reconciliation and holding elections based on a consensus among Libyan parties.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in December that Turkey does not differentiate between the west and the east of Libya and that Yılmaz would visit eastern Libya to meet with officials. Libyan lawmakers, who visited Ankara also in December, had invited Turkey’s ambassador to Tripoli to visit Benghazi.
In 2014, Turkey closed its consulate in Benghazi over security issues following an offensive by putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar to take Libya under his control. Haftar failed in those attempts and retreated to eastern Libya.
Libya's presidential elections were scheduled for Dec. 24 under a United Nations road map but the country's election commission proposed a one-month delay, citing inadequacies in electoral legislation and appeals related to the eligibility of candidates.
The vast majority of Libyans hope the upcoming elections will end the armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country for years.
Turkey and Libya have seen closer ties in recent years, especially after signing security and maritime boundary pacts in November 2019, along with Turkey's aid to help the legitimate Libyan government push back Haftar's forces.
