Government of Libya

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

A passing out ceremony was held on Nov. 21 for Libyan soldiers who completed an eight-week training by the Turkish Armed Forces.

The training was held as part of a deal signed between the two countries last year.

Libyan Defense Minister Salahaddin Namroush said the completion of this training was evidence that the Libyan-Turkish military cooperation was bearing fruit.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chair Hakan Fidan visited Libya on June 17 for official meetings.

The delegation met with the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

The Turkish army's training and guidance contributed "very significantly" to the recent military success of Libya's U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Turkey's defense minister has said.

A planned visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Turkey for June 14 was postponed after a phone conversation between the foreign ministers on June 14, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

The Turkish defense minister and NATO secretary-general discussed Syria, Libya and regional issues in a phone call, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 12.

Hulusi Akar and Jens Stoltenberg also exchanged views on NATO issues, said the statement.

Turkey's presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın on June 12 said Ankara is in favor of a political solution in Libya.

Speaking to reporters after his official visit to Berlin, Kalın said Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar violated the Berlin agreement like many others before it.

Kalın said the Libyan government has recently regained strategic locations and cities from Haftar.

Forces fighting for Libya's internationally recognized government said on June 4 they had regained control over Tripoli and a military source with the eastern forces that have been attacking the capital said they were withdrawing.

Turkey and Libya agreed to further increase cooperation in eastern Mediterranean, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on June 4.

Recalling a memorandum of understanding for maritime delimitation sealed between Turkey and Libya, Erdoğan said, "We agreed to develop new cooperation."

The publication in the Turkish government's gazette of a map outlining areas of the Greek continental shelf where Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has applied for exploration permits has drawn an angry response from Athens, which warned it is fully prepared to respond in the event that Ankara chooses to conduct exploratory activities in these areas.