Turkey’s President Erdogan meets Libyan leader in closed-door session as regional tensions rise
- The off-agenda meeting comes as the Arab League has called to end cooperation with Turkey in protest at its military offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria
Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Istanbul on Sunday, just days after the Turkish leader said he was ready to send troops into Libya if requested by Tripoli.
The closed-door meeting, which was not on Erdogan’s official agenda, took place in Istanbul’s Ottoman-era Dolmabahce Palace, the Turkish presidency said without giving details.
During the previous meeting between the two men, in Istanbul on November 27, the two countries agreed a deal on security and military cooperation, as well as maritime jurisdiction.
The deal came despite calls from the Arab League – which includes Libya – to end cooperation with Turkey in protest at its military offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria.
Libya has been mired in chaos since a Nato-backed uprising that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE back Khalifa Hifter, a military strongman in eastern Libya who launched an offensive in April in a bid to seize Tripoli from fighters loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) of which Sarraj is the prime minister.