Turkish president meets Libyan PM in Istanbul

ISTANBUL- Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Istanbul on Oct. 4. 

The closed-door meeting at Vahdettin Mansion, which began at 7.00 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), lasted nearly an hour.

Later, the two sides' delegations also met for an hour and 30 minutes.

During the meeting, Erdogan said Turkey would continue to stand in full solidarity with Libya and its sole legitimate representative, the Government of National Accord.

Saying the U.N.'s registration of a maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya is good news, Erdoğan stressed that Turkey will continue its support for Libya's stability and the welfare of the Libyan people.

On Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres registered a deal between Turkey and Libya on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean. 

The meeting was also attended on the Turkish side by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The Government of National Accord (GNA) was founded in 2015 under a U.N.-led agreement. But efforts for a long-term political settlement have failed due to a military offensive by forces loyal to renegade general Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

Diplomatic efforts have been underway in recent weeks to resolve the Libyan conflict following victories by the Libyan Army against Haftar’s militias.