Libyan Tribes Tasks Haftar with Announcing Resumption of Oil Production

An oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)
An oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)
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Libyan Tribes Tasks Haftar with Announcing Resumption of Oil Production

An oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)
An oil refinery in Libya's northern town of Ras Lanuf. (AFP)

The “tribal movement” in Libya tossed the ball in the court of Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, by declaring that it was tasking him with negotiating with the United Nations and international community the reopening of oil fields.

The east-based tribal leaders entrusted Haftar with finding ways to avoid oil resources from falling into the clutches of terrorist militias. They also called on him to reopen oil fields that have been shut since the beginning of the year.

The leaders met at the Zueitina oil port on Monday, declaring that the Libyan people have a right to benefit from oil revenues and forge ahead and rebuild their country.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari welcomed the statement, adding that the military was “studying its next move in wake of this announcement.”

He said that the army always welcomes any move that would help resolve the Libyan crisis and dry up the sources of terrorism financing.

The oil facilities file, which used to be managed by tribes and the people, is now in the hands of the military that has the duty to maintain their security, he stressed.

Meanwhile, Government of National Accord deputy defense minister Salaheddine al-Namroush said his forces will not allow “saboteurs” to meddle with energy resources, including oil fields and ports.

He vowed that they will not fall victim to “exploitation or extortion” or the clutches of “mercenaries and criminal gangs.”

Separately, commander of the Turkish naval forces, Adnan Ozbal, made a surprise visit to Tripoli on Tuesday.

He was received by GNA military officials and visited the Abu Sitta Naval Base amid speculation that he was set to discuss the inauguration of a Turkish naval base in Tripoli.



Turkish Energy Minister Says SOCAR May Become Partner in Providing Gas to Syria

Logo of Azerbaijan's SOCAR for natural gas. (Reuters)
Logo of Azerbaijan's SOCAR for natural gas. (Reuters)
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Turkish Energy Minister Says SOCAR May Become Partner in Providing Gas to Syria

Logo of Azerbaijan's SOCAR for natural gas. (Reuters)
Logo of Azerbaijan's SOCAR for natural gas. (Reuters)

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Wednesday that Azerbaijan's SOCAR could become a partner in Türkiye’s plans to provide Syria with natural gas, adding that Ankara hoped to start the provision soon.

Bayraktar said during a visit to Damascus in May that Türkiye would provide 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Syria annually, in addition to 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

"SOCAR might be a partner with us in this project. I hope we can normalize life in Syria," Bayraktar said during a visit to Vienna for an OPEC meeting.

Ankara, which supported opposition forces in neighboring Syria throughout the 13-year civil war that ended in December with the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, has now become one of the new Syrian government's main foreign allies while positioning itself to be a major player in Syria's reconstruction.