Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop highlighted Turkey’s support for Libya’s territorial integrity in a meeting with his Libyan counterpart Aguila Saleh in the capital Ankara on Tuesday.
“For Turkey, Libya is a whole with its west, east and south and cannot be divided. We have this approach toward all regions,” Şentop said.
Noting that the joint efforts to establish calm in Libya have paved the way for stability and the political process in the country, Şentop said the permanence of stability is crucial for permanent peace.
“It is important that all sides refrain from taking steps that would endanger stability in this critical period and prevent a power vacuum,” he said, adding that calls for calm must continue and that Turkey will continue to do whatever is necessary in this regard.
“I would like to emphasize that we will strive for Libya’s stability, prosperity and peace, as we have done until today,” Şentop added.
He continued by saying that enhancing interparliamentary cooperation could contribute to further boosting bilateral ties between the two countries, and they have established a Libya Friendship Committee at the Turkish Parliament in this regard, which plans to visit Libya, including its eastern region, soon.
For his part, Saleh highlighted the historical ties between the Turkish and Libyan people, as he said they will ensure that all channels of dialogue are kept open for peace and stability in the country.
He noted that the newly formed government appointed by the House of Representatives prioritizes presidential and parliamentary elections, as he pointed to Turkey’s support for Libya in this regard.
Saleh also invited his Turkish counterpart to visit his country.
After years of conflict in Libya between the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) and illegitimate forces loyal to eastern-based putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar and the consequential difficult diplomatic period, an interim unity government has been established in recent years.
Turkey and Libya have seen closer ties in recent years, especially after the signing of security and maritime boundary pacts in November 2019, along with Turkey’s aid to help the legitimate Libyan government push back the putschist Haftar’s forces.
In the recent Libyan crisis, Turkey supported the U.N.-recognized legitimate government in Tripoli against the eastern-based illegitimate forces led by Haftar, who was backed by Egypt, France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia. Turkey’s support for the Tripoli government was critical to repel the Haftar forces’ offensive to capture the capital Tripoli and led to a period of stability resulting in the formation of the unity government.
In the current situation, Turkey suggests that an election reflecting the will of the Libyan people should be held for the establishment of a long-lasting and stable government in the country.
Turkey had previously said that it was ready to talk to Saleh and his ally, putschist Gen. Haftar. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in December said that Saleh and Haftar had backtracked on a potential meeting.
Early in July, Libyan protesters stormed and set fire to the premises of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, calling for the abolition of legislative and executive bodies and for elections to be held as soon as possible.
Once again, two competing governments are vying for control in Libya, already torn by more than a decade of civil war.
Libya has for years been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by rogue militias and foreign governments. The Mediterranean nation has been in a state of upheaval since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
