Turkey, Libya to ‘improve’ East Med ties, says Erdogan

Turkey and Libya plan to “improve” bilateral ties in the Eastern Mediterranean, among other areas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, following a meeting with the leader of Libya’s internationally recognized government, Fayez al-Sarraj, in Ankara.

The meeting comes as Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) regained control of Tripoli on Thursday from Libyan National Army forces under Khalifa Haftar, a push made with Turkish military support that Erdogan vowed to increase.

Erdogan added that countries supporting the eastern commander Haftar are the biggest obstacle to peace in the North African country.

“History will judge those who cause bloodshed and tears in Libya by supporting putschist Haftar,” Erdogan was quoted by Turkey’s Daily Sabah as saying.

Turkey last year signed a maritime borders agreement with Sarraj’s government that Ankara claims grants it the right to drill for hydrocarbons in areas overlapping with Greece’s continental shelf. Athens says the deal is “null and void.”