The Turkish presidency forwarded a motion yesterday to the presidency of the Parliament to extend the deployment of Turkish forces in Libya for a further 24 months, from next January 1st until 2026.
According to Ankara’s state-owned news agency Anadolu, the motion signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlines the “great importance for Turkey” of the “continuation of the ceasefire and the political dialogue process in Libya, as well as the establishment of peace and stability as a result of this process”.
The motion states that “in the event of a resumption of attacks against the legitimate government”, i.e. the Tripoli-based government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, “Turkey’s interests in both the Mediterranean basin and North Africa could be negatively affected ”.
The motion therefore states that “preventing the resumption of conflicts is important to ensure the conclusion of military and political negotiations conducted under the auspices of the United Nations”.
The mandate first came into force in January 2020 following a security and military agreement that Turkey reached with Libya’s former Government of National Accord in Tripoli. It was then extended by 18 months in December 2020, and again in June 2022.
Turkey’s support for the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord helped turn the tide of war in Libya. Turkish military assistance — including advisors, equipment and intelligence — helped block a year-long military campaign by the Libya National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, which sought to gain foothold in the capital.
Ankara has been accused of sending thousands of Syrian mercenaries to Libya.
Turkey at the time also signed a controversial maritime agreement with the Tripoli government, giving it access to a contested economic zone across the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The deal added to tensions in Turkey’s dispute with Greece, Cyprus and Egypt over oil and gas drilling rights.