Libyan premier meets US ambassador to Ankara

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

In this Jan. 30, 2019 file photo, Prime Minister of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj addresses media during a press conference in Prague, Czech Republic. (AP File Photo)

The head of Libya's U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) on Feb. 21 discussed recent developments in his country with the U.S. ambassador to the Turkish capital Ankara.

According to a statement by the GNA press office, Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and Ambassador David Satterfield met in Istanbul, both stressing the importance of honoring agreements struck at last month's Berlin conference on Libya.

Sarraj and Satterfield both underlined that the actors in Libya should act in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2510, which calls for a lasting and permanent cease-fire in the country, said the statement.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: warlord Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya, supported mainly by Egypt and the UAE, and the GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys U.N. and international recognition.

Libya's legitimate government has been under attack by Haftar's forces since last April, and more than 1,000 people have been killed in the violence.