Türkiye, Egypt to reappoint ambassadors as ties improve

Türkiye and Egypt have agreed to work more closely to resolve the ongoing conflict in Libya by helping the two rival Libyan groups to set up a joint military unit as part of the unification efforts in the North African country.

"We are talking about establishing a military battalion in Libya. This will be an important move in terms of the unification of the country. Of course, holding elections will be much more essential for unifying Libya," Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in a televised interview late on April 13.

His remarks followed his meeting with Egypt Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who was in Ankara for an official visit. It was the third face-to-face meeting by the two ministers since late February.

Although the main objective of the Ankara talks was the steps needed for the full normalization of ties between the two countries, Çavuşoğlu said they also discussed regional developments in Libya and Syria.

"In Libya, for me, the two most important actors are Türkiye and Egypt. Of course, Algeria, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also important. Plus, Russia, although it has less attention nowadays. But cooperation between Türkiye and Egypt will be in the interest of Libya," Çavuşoğlu stated.

Türkiye and Egypt have long been supporting the rival camps in Libya. Türkiye sided with the U.N.-recognized government in Tripoli, while Egypt endorsed the eastern administration in Benghazi and its military head, General Khalifa Haftar. Egypt, many times, has called for the termination of foreign intervention and the withdrawal of foreign troops. Türkiye says its troops in Libya cannot be considered foreign troops and are there in line with a bilateral agreement with the Tripoli government.

At a press...