Turkey to continue to support Libya, says top diplomat

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Nov. 10 met the visiting head of Libya’s High Council of State in the capital Ankara. 

“Discussed current political situation and latest developments with Khaled al-Mishri, the president of High Council of State of Libya,” Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter. 

Çavuşoğlu expressed his wish that “stability, prosperity and peace” prevail in Libya, adding that Turkey “will continue to support our Libyan brothers and sisters to this end.”

Al-Mishri also met Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop in Ankara.

“Turkey will continue to stand by our Libyan brothers and their legitimate representatives for peace, prosperity and tranquility in Libya,” Şentop said following the meeting.

Şentop noted that Turkey and Libya would further strengthen their bilateral ties and inter-parliamentary relations.
For his part, al-Mishri said Turkey is a second homeland for Libyans where they feel completely at home. 

He said Turkey has been with Libya through every difficult time and that the two enjoy strong relations.

In September, al-Mishri was re-elected as the chairman of the High Council of State for a fourth one-year term and paid a visit to Çavuşoğlu shortly afterward. 

Libya has witnessed positive developments following a Feb. 5 breakthrough in which rival parties agreed on a unified new executive authority to govern in the run-up to elections this Dec. 24. 

Libyans hope the new authority will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi.