Ankara— In an unusual development in the relations between Turkey and the authorities in eastern Libya, an official welcome ceremony including a guard of honor was held on Friday in Ankara for Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar, Commander of the Libyan National Army’s Ground Forces.
The ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Turkish Land Forces upon Haftar’s arrival and was presided by the Chief of Staff of the Turkish Land Forces, Lieutenant General Selcuk Bayraktaroğlu, a sign of a major shift in Ankara’s policy with respect to Libya.
This visit could by itself entail major political ramifications as far as the frozen political process in Libya is concerned. There is an urgent need for unified political institutions and a unified government that can organizes long awaited parliamentary and presidential elections in the country.
Haftar held a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Defense Yaşar Güler during which the two parties “discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries,” according to a statement on the Facebook platform of the Chief of Staff of the Land Forces.
They also discussed a “number of regional and international issues of common interest” and the means to serve these interests, added the statement.
The strategic importance of this visit lies in the fact that until recently the political forces in western Libya have betted on the impossibility of any rapprochement between the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the Turkish government in Ankara.
It is not known whether Ankara had ever coordinated with its partners in Tripoli as it increasingly and patiently paved the way for its access to Benghazi.
However, as the visit’s outcome will continue to unfold, there will be much disappointment among many in the Libyan capital. If only for one thing—that is the visit comes on 4 April, which marks the fifth anniversary of the failed LNA’s offensive on Tripoli in 2019 led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Saddam’s father.
Supported by the United States, Turkey’s direct intervention in the war that started in January 2020 was instrumental to repel the LNA’s attack, forcing it to withdraw to eastern Libya in June.
Nonetheless, the Turkish current willingness to deal with eastern Libya’s authorities derives from economic, political and military consideration, especially in the light of the obvious success of the LNA in maintaining stability and security in eastern and southern Libya comparing to the western region.
Also Benghazi’s reconstruction drive and its clear strategy to rebuild the country after many decades of abandonment is encouraging Turkish companies to take part in such lucrative business there.
On 13 December 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament Agila Saleh who made an official visit to Turkey. Saleh informed Erdogan of the Parliament’s position on forming a new government tasked with overseeing the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, to which the latter stressed the need to expedite a consensual solution to the Libyan crisis.
On 14 January, the Turkish Airlines resumed direct flights between Benghazi and Istanbul after a hiatus of more than ten years. Turkey will officially open its consulate headquarters in Benghazi in mid-2025.
On 9 February, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Libyan parliament, Yousef Al-Aqouri, held a meeting with the Turkish Consul in Benghazi Sarkan Karamanlioglu during which he renewed the invitation to Turkish companies to finish projects that were abandoned since 2011. He also extended Libya’s thanks to the Turkish side for the assistance provided during Hurricane Daniel in Derna.
