Libya’s new interim government and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reaffirmed their dedication to a controversial 2019 maritime understanding that has infuriated Greece and Cyprus.
Following a meeting on Monday in Ankara with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who was on his first positive visit to Ankara, Erdogan promised to support Libya’s unity, reconstruction and army.
Turkey will also send 150,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and run a pandemic hospital in Tripoli to help the North African country fight its outbreak, Erdogan stated.
Libya’s interim administration, which took control last month, is set to bring together a country torn apart by civil war for almost a decade. It also intends to send the country to a general election on December 24, 2021.
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Turkey is closely involved with Libya and supports the United Nations-recognized national accord (GNA) government, based in Tripoli’s western capital, against the apostate military commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Defense Force (LNA), which in Benghazi is based, which controlled the east.
Turkey has sent military supplies and fighters to Libya to tip the balance of power in favour of the Tripoli government.
Turkey also signed an agreement with the government in Tripoli in which the maritime borders between the two countries in the Mediterranean were demarcated, causing protests from Greece and Cyprus. Both countries have denounced the agreement, saying it is a serious violation of international law that violates the rights of other eastern Mediterranean countries.
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“The memorandum of understanding on maritime authority in the Mediterranean that we engaged with our neighbour Libya has grasped the importance and future of both nations,” Erdogan said on Monday.
Dbeibah, who sought to strike a balance between Turkey and Greece following Athens’ concerns about the maritime agreement, also said the agreement served both Turkey and Libya’s national interests.
“Regarding the agreements our countries have signed, in particular the maritime agreement, we confirm that the agreements are confirmed,” Dbeibah announced after talks with Erdogan.
However, he continued that it was imperative to start a dialogue that would take into account all involved interests.
Earlier, Dbeibah said his government was ready to set up a joint Libyan-Greek committee to resume negotiations to establish the sea border between the two countries and demarcate an exclusive economic zone for oil and gas drilling rights.
Meanwhile, Greece has called for the agreement to be cancelled, as it reopened its embassy in Libya on Monday after seven years.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with Libyan Alternative Prime Minister Hussein Atiya Abdul Hafeez al-Qatrani in Benghazi and noted that the Libyan parliament had not ratified the maritime agreement, which Greece said had no legal force.
First official visit
Erdogan and Dbeibah, accompanied by a large delegation, also oversaw the signing of five agreements, including the construction of electricity plants in Libya.
The two countries have also agreed to take steps to facilitate the return of Turkish companies to complete trapped projects in the oil-rich North African country, Erdogan stated.
“This is the first conference of the so-called High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council of Turkey and Libya,” said Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar.
“The Libyan government hopes to gain Turkey’s support, and Ankara is stepping in to become a key player in rebuilding Libya,” he said.