Tripoli Government Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibé signed on Tuesday two agreements with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar aimed at improving the existing military relations between Turkey and Libya.
Within the scope of the signed «Flight Training Protocol between Turkey and the Government of National Unity of Libya», it is intended that the Turkish Armed Forces contribute to the training of Libyan pilots, as reported Wednesday by the Ministry of Defense in a statement.
Dbeibé, who came to Istanbul to attend a demonstration of Turkish military power, has already signed with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in October a series of agreements for hydrocarbon exploration in the Mediterranean to deepen the relationship between the two countries.
This October pact, like the agreements signed on Tuesday, is closely linked to the agreement on the recognition of maritime borders and territorial waters signed in 2019 at the expense of waters that would correspond to Greece. Military collaboration agreements were also signed then.
Turkey first authorized sending troops to Libya in January 2020 to support the unity government, then led by Fayez Serraj, in the face of a military offensive against the capital, Tripoli, by the forces of General Khalifa Haftar, aligned with the authorities based in the east of the country.
The Turkish intervention allowed the internationally recognized authorities to repel Haftar’s offensive – backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia – which led to a cease-fire and an agreement for the unification of the institutions under the aegis of Dbeibé.
However, the postponement of the December elections raised tensions again and led the House of Representatives, based in the east of the country, to terminate Dbeibé’s mandate and appoint Fazi Bashaga as Prime Minister, which is not internationally recognized.
Since then, Dbeibé has refused to hand over power and Bashaga’s attempt to enter Tripoli led to clashes between militias aligned with each side, raising fears that the African country could once again be embroiled in armed conflict.
Bashaga has tried to take control of Tripoli on as many as two occasions — on July 22, clashes left 16 dead and around 50 wounded — before resigning to avoid a full-blown armed struggle. Right now his government is based in the city of Sirte, but the eastern prime minister is threatening to carry out a final offensive against the capital.
