Stronger Turkish-US cooperation on Libya can pay off: VP Oktay

WASHINGTON- Anadolu Agency

The Turkish vice president on June 19 said Turkey and the U.S. have deepened cooperation on Libya and this can make a “positive difference.”

Fuat Oktay’s remarks came at a joint webinar of Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"We are also deepening our bilateral consultations on Libya as agreed upon by the presidents [of Turkey and U.S.] in their call on June 8," he said.

"Turkey and the U.S. can together make a positive difference," Oktay added.

On June 19, Turkey’s top diplomat said that Turkish foreign and defense ministries and intelligence will soon work with U.S. counterparts on Libya.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan propose that Turkey and the U.S. work together in Libya and U.S. President Trump took it positively.

"We received instructions to work together," with U.S. counterparts, which "is important for the stability of the region and future of Libya," said the minister.

On June 17, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj welcomed Çavuşoğlu, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, and National Intelligence Organization head Hakan Fidan in Tripoli.

Last November, Turkey and Libya signed landmark pacts on military cooperation as well as boundaries in the Mediterranean.

Under the deal, Turkey has sent advisers to help the Libyan Army defeat the militias of warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The Libyan Army recently inflicted heavy blows on Haftar and liberated Tripoli and Tarhuna, in addition to other strategic locations, including Al-Watiya airbase, from his militias.

The internationally recognized government has been under attack by Haftar's forces since April 2019, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.