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Turkey Affirms Continuous Support to GNA Despite Sarraj's Resignation Plan

Government of National Accord Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj speaks during a televised speech in Tripoli, Libya September 16, 2020, in this still image taken from a video. The Media Office of the Prime Minister/Handout via REUTERS
Government of National Accord Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj speaks during a televised speech in Tripoli, Libya September 16, 2020, in this still image taken from a video. The Media Office of the Prime Minister/Handout via REUTERS
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Turkey Affirms Continuous Support to GNA Despite Sarraj's Resignation Plan

Government of National Accord Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj speaks during a televised speech in Tripoli, Libya September 16, 2020, in this still image taken from a video. The Media Office of the Prime Minister/Handout via REUTERS
Government of National Accord Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj speaks during a televised speech in Tripoli, Libya September 16, 2020, in this still image taken from a video. The Media Office of the Prime Minister/Handout via REUTERS

Turkey has expressed its intention to continue to support Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), despite an earlier announcement that Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj plans to resign by the end of next month.

Turkey’s agreements and cooperation with Libya’s GNA will continue despite Sarraj’s desire to quit, Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin was quoted as saying on Monday.

"These accords will not be impacted by this political period because these are decisions made by the government, not by any individual," Kalin said.

Turkish officials may travel to Tripoli "in the coming days" to discuss developments, he added.

Turkey and the GNA signed on Nov. 27 two memorandums of understanding on determining both countries' marine jurisdictions and on security and military cooperation.

President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was upset by Sarraj's announcement that he planned to quit, but Kalin asserted Turkish support for the GNA and their bilateral agreements.

In a related context, the GNA declared a ceasefire last month and called for the lifting of a months-long blockade on oil output. The leader of the parliament in eastern Libya also appealed for a halt to hostilities, offering hope for a de-escalation of the conflict across Libya since a 2011 uprising.

Libya's eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar said on Friday he would lift for one month his blockade on oil outputs and that he had agreed with the GNA on "fair distribution" of energy revenue.

For its part, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) has lifted a force majeure on what it deemed secure oil ports and facilities, but said the measure would remain in place for facilities where armed groups remain.

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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.