Turkiye Renews Egypt Maritime Offer After Libya Backs 2019 Accord

From Confrontation to Cooperation

Turkiye helped repel a 2019-2020 offensive on Tripoli by forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, who leads the military forces of the eastern government. Despite that confrontation, Ankara has expanded its relations with the eastern camp while maintaining ties with Tripoli.

A senior Turkish official said Turkish security personnel based in Tripoli had remained in contact with eastern Libyan forces even during the fighting. "There has actually been no change in our policy. Only the results it has produced have changed," the official said.

The diplomatic outreach has been accompanied by military and intelligence contacts. Defence Minister Yasar Guler met Saddam Haftar, Khalifa Haftar's son, in May, while Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met him in Benghazi on June 23. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan followed in August, meeting both Khalifa and Saddam Haftar.

Official Statements and Expert Analysis

A senior Turkish official stressed that Ankara's intentions in Libya were not self-serving. "Turkiye is not there to use Libya for its own purposes," the official said, adding that Turkiye had supported "a policy of one Libya" from the beginning.

Galip Dalay, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, described the engagement as "a strategic gain for Turkiye," arguing that closer relations with both Libyan camps make it harder to establish Eastern Mediterranean energy and security arrangements that exclude Ankara.

Tarek Megerisi, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the parliamentary approval strengthens the agreement's domestic legal footing but does little to resolve the wider regional dispute. Meanwhile, Anas El Gomati, director of the Sadeq Institute, cautioned that "an elite bargain between two camps can leave out everyone beyond them."

What Lies Ahead

Representatives of both Libyan camps held talks in Ankara on Friday about unifying their military structures, according to Libyan media reports, though differences over political oversight remain unresolved and no final agreement has been announced.

Turkiye's land forces commander, General Metin Tokel, arrived in Egypt on Monday for an official visit, and a joint naval exercise is scheduled in Alexandria from November 4 to 9. The senior Turkish official said no formal four-country negotiating mechanism between Turkiye, Libya, Italy and Egypt has been established, adding: "We can now discuss every issue with Egypt, and we will discuss this one too."