Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s trip to Libya in a new era of relations took him to a Turkish military barracks in Tripoli and a warm meeting with Saddam Haftar, the son of Khalifa Haftar, who was once Türkiye’s chief opponent in the North African country.
Fidan, who arrived in Libya on Tuesday, first visited Tripoli and met with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, prime minister of the Government of National Unity. After talks with other high-ranking officials there, Fidan visited the Libya Mission Group Command of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
On Wednesday, he flew to Benghazi, where he was welcomed at the airport by Saddam Haftar, who serves as deputy general commander of the Libyan National Army.
The top diplomat’s trip comes one day after the suspected assassination of a senior Libyan intelligence officer serving with the eastern-based forces led by Khalifa Haftar, and amid Türkiye’s efforts to promote unity in Libya.
Libya remains divided between two rival governments: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, headed by Dbeibah and based in Tripoli, which administers western Libya, and a government appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022, currently headed by Osama Hammad and based in Benghazi, which administers the east and most of the south.
For years, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has sought to broker a political settlement leading to elections, which many Libyans hope will end the political divisions and armed conflict that have persisted since the 2011 ouster of Muammar Gaddafi.
Turkish diplomatic sources said ahead of Fidan’s visit that the desire to further develop Türkiye’s existing cooperation with Libya in the energy sector on the basis of mutual benefit and to implement new projects was expected to be expressed during Fidan’s talks.
Fidan was also expected to highlight that the safe and sustainable continuation of the activities of Turkish companies, which have a significant presence in Libya, particularly in the construction sector, would contribute to taking economic and commercial cooperation to a higher level and further deepening it.
An exchange of views was also expected on regional and global developments, particularly the Palestinian issue and the situation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Türkiye and Libya share longstanding historical, cultural and people-to-people ties. Relations between the two countries are being developed in all possible areas on the basis of mutual benefit, with the objective of contributing to the establishment of lasting peace, stability and security in Libya.
In this context, reciprocal high-level visits continue to gain momentum. Most recently, Libya’s Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the margins of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 18, 2026.
Within the framework of its “One Libya” policy, Türkiye gives priority to preserving Libya’s unity, territorial integrity and cohesion and continues its active efforts to establish lasting stability and preserve calm in Libya.
Based on this approach, Türkiye maintains dialogue with all sides in Libya, without distinction between the West, East and South, and works together with Libyans to advance relations in all fields.
Türkiye supports U.N. efforts aimed at holding credible, fair and transparent elections in Libya and cooperates with all Libyan stakeholders and the international community.
Türkiye emphasizes the importance of ensuring that steps taken as part of political efforts toward the goal of a prosperous and united Libya, to which the Libyan people aspire, are carried out under Libyan ownership and leadership.
As part of its “One Libya” policy, Türkiye also continues its efforts toward the unification of Libya’s military institutions. The active participation of forces from both western and eastern Libya in the EFES 2026 exercise, held from April 11 to May 21, 2026, constituted a significant step in this direction.
Bilateral trade between Türkiye and Libya reached approximately $3.5 billion in 2025.
Despite the prevailing fragile conditions, Libya remains an important market for the Turkish private sector. Bilateral economic relations continue to develop across various fields, particularly in the construction sector.
In this context, the 22nd Türkiye-Libya Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting was held in Tripoli on Jan. 24, 2026.
The Turkish contracting sector undertook its first overseas project in Libya in 1972. To date, Turkish companies have undertaken 633 projects in Libya with a total value of $31 billion. In this regard, Libya ranks as the fourth country where Turkish companies have undertaken the largest number of projects.
More than 40 projects undertaken by Turkish companies are currently ongoing in Libya, with a total value exceeding $2.3 billion.
The steadily developing relations between Türkiye and Libya are also creating new opportunities in the energy sector. In February 2026, TPAO was awarded the right to jointly operate two oil fields in Libya in the country’s first licensing round in 17 years. The agreement concerning these fields was signed in Tripoli on June 15, 2026.
