Defense minister visits Libya to boost cooperation

DEFENSE Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler visited the Libyan capital Tripoli as part of the military agreement between Turkey and Libya.

The Turkish officials were greeted with a military ceremony at Mitiga Airport on Friday, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Libyan Deputy Defense Minister Salahaddin Abdullah an-Namruş, Chief of General Staff Muhammad al-Sharif, Commander of the Libyan Naval Forces Abdulhakim Abuhalia, Turkey’s Ambassador to Tripoli Serhat Aksen and other officials welcomed the Turkish delegation.

The group then headed to the Defense Security

Cooperation and Training Assistance Command Center to attend a meeting.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey will continue to hold determined talks with the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya.

“Our defense minister is there now and with the work he will get done in Libya, we want to make sure that we follow the process closely,” Erdoğan told reporters.

On Nov. 27, Ankara and Libya’s U.N.-recognized GNA signed two separate pacts, one that encompasses military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

As part of the deal, Turkey has sent advisers to help the Libyan Army defeat putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s militias.

Since the ouster of late dictator Moammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in the country, one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys United Nations and international recognition. Haftar’s forces attempted to capture the capital, Tripoli, with the backing of Egypt, the UAE, Russian mercenaries and some African troops. Turkey, meanwhile, backs Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj’s GNA, which thwarted the offensive.