Fathi Bashagha, the prime minister elected by Libya's east-based House of Representatives, said he has a "very strong relationship" with Turkey.

In an interview with the local Alwasat TV, Bashagha said there are some parties trying to disrupt his relations with Turkey, without naming these parties.

"My relationship with Turkey is strong and we have a very solid friendship," he said.

"Our relations with the Turkish state have never been affected," Bashagha added.

The former interior minister said some lawmakers from the Tobruk-based House of Representatives offered to visit Turkey to clarify the situation in Libya.

"My relationship with Turkey was built during difficult times and won't change under any circumstances," he stressed.

Bashagha also revealed that he has received positive signals from both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on his designation as prime minister.

Last month, sitting Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah unveiled a plan to hold elections on June 30 after the failure to hold presidential and parliamentary polls on Dec. 24, 2021, amid differences over electoral laws.

The parliament said Dbeibah's term had expired with the December election date and it has moved to establish a new interim government to oversee a referendum on a temporary constitution and new elections within 14 months. The eastern-based parliament appointed former Interior Minister Bashagha as interim prime minister.

Dbeibah said the parliament itself is no longer valid some eight years after it was elected and that its longer schedule for elections is aimed at prolonging its own position of power.

Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, who like Dbeibah and Bashagha had been a presidential candidate, has since spearheaded efforts to replace the unity government.

Both Bashagha and Dbeibah have the support of rival armed groups in the Libyan capital.

The United Nations, Western powers and even some members of parliament have called for Dbeibah to stay in his role until elections, for which a new date has not yet been set.