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Türkiye to Extend Deployment of its Forces in Libya for Two More Years

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Libyan Speaker Aguila Saleh (L) and Deputy Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Abdullah Al-Lafi in Ankara on August 2, 2022. (Turkish presidency)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Libyan Speaker Aguila Saleh (L) and Deputy Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Abdullah Al-Lafi in Ankara on August 2, 2022. (Turkish presidency)
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Türkiye to Extend Deployment of its Forces in Libya for Two More Years

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Libyan Speaker Aguila Saleh (L) and Deputy Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Abdullah Al-Lafi in Ankara on August 2, 2022. (Turkish presidency)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Libyan Speaker Aguila Saleh (L) and Deputy Head of the Presidential Council of Libya Abdullah Al-Lafi in Ankara on August 2, 2022. (Turkish presidency)

Türkiye has taken a new step toward extending the deployment of its troops in Libya at a time when Speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives Aguila Saleh has expressed rejection of the establishment of foreign military bases in Libya.

Saleh said he is likely to visit Türkiye during the upcoming two weeks, adding that he would meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Turkish counterpart Numan Kurtulmus.

The Turkish Presidency referred to the parliament a memorandum to extend the missions of its forces in Libya for 24 months.

The memorandum stated that the goal of sending Turkish forces was “to protect national interests within the framework of international law, to take all necessary precautions against security risks emanating from illegal armed groups in Libya, and to maintain security against other possible risks, such as mass migration, providing the humanitarian aid that the Libyan people need, and providing the necessary support to the legitimate government in Libya.”

Türkiye sent its forces to Libya on January 2, 2020, and its duties were extended on June 21, 2021, for 18 months.

The memorandum called on Parliament to ratify the extension of the tasks of Turkish forces in Libya for 24 months, starting on January 2, 2024.

"Regarding foreign military bases, we reject [the establishment of] any military base in our country," Saleh said in an interview with Sputnik news agency.

He added in the remarks published Friday that only the exchange of expertise and military and technical cooperation with other countries are acceptable to Libya.

Saleh spoke about the improvement of relations with Ankara, as well as the improvement of Egyptian-Turkish ties.

Saleh had visited Türkiye in August 2022 after more than a decade-long estrangement between East Libya and Ankara.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.