Türkiye Hosts Talks Between Rival Libyan Factions on Military Unification

Türkiye has hosted talks between representatives of Libya’s rival eastern and western administrations aimed at unifying the country’s divided military, a senior Turkish official told AFP on October 28.

Military officials and diplomats from both sides met in Ankara last week, with Türkiye acting as mediator. No agreement has emerged.

“Discussions have so far focused primarily on military unification, while political unity is expected to be addressed at a later stage,” the official said.

Ankara Leads Military Unification Talks

The talks took place on October 23–24, according to Libyan sources cited by The New Arab. The two sides were represented by Abdulsalam al-Zoubi, a senior Defense Ministry official in the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, and Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the eastern-based Libyan National Army, the outlet reported.

Libyan sources said the delegations made progress on the structure of a unified military but remained divided over whether it should answer to the Defense Ministry or the Presidential Council. Both delegations agreed to consult their leaderships in Tripoli and Benghazi before resuming, with no date set, The New Arab reported.

Neither side nor the Turkish hosts issued an official statement on the meeting, according to The Libya Observer.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had signaled on October 23 that an announcement could come soon, after hosting European diplomats and regional powers in Istanbul.

“We have now reached a stage where the conditions are ripe to permanently secure the reunification of the east and the west,” Fidan told journalists.

“One of the most important pillars of national unification is how the military units currently controlled separately by both sides will be brought together under a single umbrella,” he said.

Türkiye Expands Contacts With Eastern Libya

Libya has been unstable since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi. It is split between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

Türkiye strongly backed the Tripoli government during the years of conflict, but ties with the eastern authorities have warmed significantly in recent years. AFP describes Ankara as one of the few countries involved in Libya that maintains ties with both sides.

Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın met Saddam Haftar in Benghazi on June 23, Anadolu Agency reported, in talks that covered efforts to unite the eastern and western administrations and their military forces. Fidan received Saddam Haftar in Ankara on July 24, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Eastern and western forces also joined troops from Türkiye and the U.S. for exercises in Sirte in June, the first such joint event since 2014, Daily Sabah reported.

Maritime Agreement Marks Diplomatic Shift

The talks followed a major shift in Türkiye’s relations with eastern Libya. On October 20, the eastern-based House of Representatives voted unanimously to approve the 2019 maritime delimitation memorandum between Türkiye and Libya’s then-Tripoli government.

Lawmakers also repealed two 2020 resolutions that had rejected the agreement and severed political ties with Ankara.

Greece, Egypt and Cyprus oppose the deal, which they say infringes on their maritime rights. Athens called the agreement illegal, while Egypt’s Foreign Ministry declared it “null and void.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she “deeply regrets” the approval.

Fidan called the outcome a diplomatic success of Turkish foreign policy.

Regional Interests Remain Divided

Washington and the United Nations are also pushing for the reunification of the oil-rich country, AFP reports. The Libya Observer said the Ankara talks fell under the military track of a U.S. initiative to restructure Libya’s military and unify its leadership across east and west.

The U.S. State Department declined to condemn the eastern parliament’s vote on the maritime deal and urged partners in the Eastern Mediterranean to resolve disputes through good-faith negotiations, according to Clash Report’s earlier reporting.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on October 26 that Türkiye no longer wants to see division or discord in Libya, and rejected European objections to the maritime agreement.

Türkiye has separately offered Egypt a maritime deal of its own, as competing claims in the Eastern Mediterranean intensify.

With no agreement reached in Ankara, the next stage depends on whether the rival military delegations can settle who commands a unified force and which civilian authority it answers to.