Government of National Accord

General Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in eastern Libya, is still posing a threat to Libya's unity and the ongoing peace process, Turkey's top soldier has said, vowing Turkey's continued support to the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and extended military presence in the country.

Libya's democratic steps based on dialogue and national consensus in the political process offered an important window of opportunity for permanent peace in the country, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said on March 6.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on March 2 met with Jan Kubis, the special U.N. envoy for Libya, in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter that they discussed recent developments in the intra-Libyan political process and the formation of a new interim government.

"Our support to ensure stability in brotherly Libya will continue," he added.

Turkey's top diplomat held a series of telephone calls on Feb. 8 with counterparts from three countries. 

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu called his Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, according to Turkish sources.

He separately spoke with Tunisia's Othman Jerandi in a call that focused on recent development in Libya.

Turkey on Feb. 5 welcomed the recent political developments in Libya as the North African country elected its interim president and prime minister to govern the country until Libyan elections in December.

The Libyan parliament announced that an appeals court in the east of the country canceled the border demarcation and security cooperation agreements between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Turkey, according to English language news website Egypt Today on Wednesday, which cited Al Arabiya news channel.

The Turkish defense minister and his Libyan counterpart met in Istanbul on Jan.10 to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has warned that the forces of Khalifa Haftar and their supporters based in eastern Libya would be viewed as "legitimate targets" if they attempted to attack Turkish forces in the region.

Speaking during a visit to Turkish troops in Tripoli on Dec. 26, Akar said Haftar had recently started making calls targeting Turkish forces in Libya.

Turkey's presidency on Dec. 12 submitted a motion to parliament to extend troop deployment in Libya for 18 months.