This month will likely be remembered as a key period in Turkish-Libyan relations. First, Libya’s House of Representatives approved a long-dormant memorandum of understanding on maritime jurisdiction and then came a critical meeting apparently kept under wraps for the reunification of Libya’s eastern and western administrations.
Overall, it appears that Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts are paying off, and doubly so: strengthening the country’s clout in the Mediterranean at a time its adversaries (including former ones such as Greece, with which Ankara hopes to mend ties) make their moves with new alliances and reinvigorating ties with North Africa, where post-Moammar Gadhafi Libya is still a key actor despite factions at odds.
On Oct. 20, Libya’s House of Representatives greenlit a maritime jurisdiction agreement with Türkiye, which has been awaiting approval since it was signed in 2019. Last Friday, media reports revealed that the eastern and western administrations in Libya sent delegates to Ankara for talks on a possible reunification. A senior Turkish official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday that talks have not produced an immediate result yet, but discussions focused on military reunification, with talks on political unity expected to follow in the future. Still, it is a beginning facilitated by Ankara, which rose to prominence in the last decade as a key power broker and mediator in its region and beyond.
Answering Daily Sabah’s questions about whether Libya’s House of Representatives’ decision cemented Türkiye’s influence in the region, Aylin Ünver Noi, professor of International Relations and vice rector of Beykoz University, said that the approval process made an important contribution.
“We are also seeing a process come to the fore that aligns with Türkiye’s interests in the region and reflects what Türkiye wants to achieve. However, there is something else worth keeping in mind. Türkiye has a policy regarding gas exploration and extraction activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and, more broadly, across the entire Mediterranean basin. It is trying to manage this process through bilateral relations, but at the same time, it has consistently maintained the same position from the very beginning. Türkiye says it is open to dialogue with all the countries that share maritime boundaries in the region,” she said.
Greece has long opposed the memorandum, fearing that Türkiye could gain greater influence in the Mediterranean. Athens views Türkiye as a historic rival, even as Ankara pursues rapprochement with Greece, and the deal could further complicate the maritime dispute between the two countries in the Aegean Sea.
Türkiye and Greece compete for rights in the vast sea. Soon after the deal was approved, Türkiye announced a navigational telex (Navtex) in the Mediterranean (a notice containing navigational and maritime safety warnings), citing work on a natural gas pipeline project between Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) until late December. Like the France-led project, the gas pipeline will be a lifeline for the TRNC, which has been isolated from the international community, which refuses to recognize its sovereignty. The pipeline will connect Türkiye’s Mersin to the TRNC’s Girne (Kyrenia), covering a distance of about 101 kilometers (63 miles), including a 4-kilometer pipeline across land.
The Türkiye-Libya deal also drew the ire of the European Union, which counts Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration among its members.
If Ankara were able to implement the agreement, Türkiye could gain access to large, undiscovered gas deposits, but the deal covers a vast area claimed by Greece.
Noi said Türkiye sought to de-escalate tensions in the Med, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan even offering a meeting in Antalya to resolve the issue, referring to the Turkish leader’s proposal to find a formula safeguarding the interests of every littoral country.
“This position has not changed. Türkiye continues to pursue it. In his latest statement, the president also said that Türkiye is not trying to do anything against anyone. Rather, it is working toward arrangements that would allow everyone to benefit and produce a win-win outcome,” she said, referring to the president’s remarks after a Cabinet meeting earlier this week.
“But that does not mean Türkiye would accept a situation in which some countries gain disproportionately while others are deprived of their rights. In other words, Türkiye wants these partnerships, but it also wants the process to be managed in a way that prevents any country from pursuing maximalist claims at the expense of others. Türkiye wants everyone to be included and no party to be excluded,” she added.
She said Türkiye in the past was excluded from forums on the Eastern Mediterranean. “It was treated as though it had no coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean and no legitimate rights or interests in the region. Today, however, we see that these agreements have set a different process in motion, with Türkiye also beginning to normalize bilateral relations with certain countries. But this does not mean that the president is pursuing this process against anyone. Rather, the message is that Türkiye is not doing this to target others, but to ensure that no one is allowed to undermine its rights,” she also stated.
Erdoğan on Monday underlined that opposition to the Libya memorandum, particularly by the European Union, had no legitimate basis. In his address after the Cabinet meeting, the president stressed Türkiye’s policy on the Eastern Mediterranean was very clear, and they had no intention “to score a goal against anyone.”
“We are only occupied with preserving our maritime jurisdiction, rights and interests. We advocate for a peaceful approach to resolve disputes, engaging in dialogue with all littoral countries. We expect all actors, the European Union in particular, to demonstrate the same constructive will,” Erdoğan said.
He noted that the aggressive discourse benefited no one. “Even if it means paying a price, we never hesitate in doing the right thing for Türkiye, for the Turkish nation. I remind those trying to exclude Türkiye from the Eastern Mediterranean to respect the joint will of Türkiye and Libya,” he added.
Another interest for Türkiye in Libya is ensuring political stability, as Ankara stands to gain from finding a new partner in Africa where, under the leadership of Erdoğan, it has significantly enhanced relations through its “Africa opening” policy.
Since last year, dialogue between Ankara and rival groups in Libya has increased as the country reached out to Khalifa Haftar, with whom it once had tensions. Haftar’s son, Saddam Haftar, who holds a prominent military position, and Turkish officials have held frequent talks in recent months.
Noi said that since the Arab Spring, Türkiye has had to contend with a situation shaped by the consequences of those uprisings. “They gave rise to problems such as civil wars and failed states in many parts of the region. This triggered a process that undermined the stability of those countries and negatively affected their relations with other nations. Countries that are divided and governed by different groups or rival leaderships also face another disadvantage: external powers can support different factions, further destabilizing these countries and undermining peace and development. From the very beginning of the Arab Spring, Türkiye has opposed the fragmentation of countries and the emergence of failed states, whether in Syria or Libya. On the contrary, it has consistently emphasized principles such as territorial integrity and independence,” she said.
“The same applies to Libya. Bringing the two opposing sides together would strengthen Libya as a unified country. This is something Türkiye wants, both in terms of regional stability and the development of its bilateral relations. However, Türkiye's role must not be destabilizing; on the contrary, its support has always been aimed at promoting stability,” she added.
Noi noted that Türkiye played a significant role in mediation efforts in recent years, and these efforts were institutionalized within the Foreign Ministry, which established a directorate-general for mediation.
“Türkiye has made considerable progress in this field, with successful initiatives in various parts of the world, including mediation efforts across the African continent. Therefore, Türkiye may have taken an important step in Libya by helping bring together groups that have been at odds within the country. Türkiye has already pursued a similar approach in Syria, as you know. It supports a unified Syria and wants groups pursuing separatist aims to be reintegrated into the country. Türkiye has never sought the division, fragmentation or weakening of its neighbors or other countries in the region. Instead, it has wanted them to remain unified, strong and capable of contributing to regional stability. This would be an important development both for bilateral relations and for the future and survival of the country concerned. That is what Türkiye hopes to achieve. We have already seen progress in this direction in recent days,” she said.
