A delegation of Turkish ministers and intelligence chief paid a visit to Tripoli on Monday, marking the first visit from Ankara following the formation of Libya’s interim government.
The visit by Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and National Intelligence Organization director Hakan Fidan will see discussion on bilateral and regional issues, according to a statement released by the foreign ministry.
The Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Foreign Affairs Deputy Chair Efkan Ala are also part of the delegation, Hürriyet newspaper reported.
Turkey has been closely involved politically and militarily in Libya, throwing its full weight behind the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), based in the capital Tripoli, that controlled the west of the country against the Libyan National Army (LNA), based in Benghazi that controlled the east. The LNA is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
In March, Libya’s parliament approved an interim government tasked with bringing the fractured North African country together after a decade of conflict, as well as overseeing the December elections as part of a U.N.-backed peace plan.
Ahval