From reunification to Med deal: Türkiye-Libya relations take new turn
Daily Sabah · Yusuf Ziya Durmuş ·
Approval of a maritime jurisdiction deal by Libya’s House of Representatives and efforts to mediate rival sides by Ankara have turned the page in...
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.
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