عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Erdogan, Mishri Discuss Latest Developments in Libya

Military training in Libya supervised by Turkish officers south of Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Military training in Libya supervised by Turkish officers south of Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Erdogan, Mishri Discuss Latest Developments in Libya

Military training in Libya supervised by Turkish officers south of Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Military training in Libya supervised by Turkish officers south of Tripoli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Wednesday with Head of Libya’s High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri at the presidential palace in Ankara.

The meeting comes in line with Turkey’s intensive contacts on the developments in Libya and the ongoing preparations for the elections scheduled for December 24.

The senior figures discussed the developments in Libya and the upcoming elections, which Mishri rejects. He says the elections might lead to civil war if staged as planned.

According to Turkish sources, Erdogan stressed Turkey’s support for the Libyan government to achieve stability.

Election results will not be recognized because they lack credibility and acceptance by Libyans, Mishri says. He stresses that Libya’s stability relies on the extent to which parties commit to UN decisions.

Mishri says the laws related to the presidential and parliamentary elections include inaccuracies and violations, and that they were approved by the High National Election Commission without being presented to members of the House of Representatives for discussion and voting.

Prior to his meeting with Erdogan, Mishri met Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and discussed with him the current political situation and latest developments in Libya, the FM wrote on Twitter.

He expressed hope that stability, prosperity and peace would prevail in Libya, stressing Ankara’s continuous support.

Turkey's Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop also received Mishri and discussed with him the bilateral ties and developments in Libya.

Sentop underscored the ongoing cooperation between the two countries in all fields, including infrastructure, education, security, defense, development and trade.

Mishri hailed Turkey’s firm stances and support for Libya to confront all the challenges. He supports the Turkish military presence in Libya and hopes to expand ties with it in various fields.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
TT
TT

Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading on Thursday to Rome for talks with European counterparts on bringing stability to Syria in the face of flare-ups with Türkiye, capping what is likely his final trip.
Blinken had been expected to remain in Italy through the weekend to join President Joe Biden but the outgoing US leader scrapped his trip, which was to include an audience with Pope Francis, to address wildfires sweeping Los Angeles.
Blinken, on a trip that has taken him to South Korea, Japan and France, was heading on Thursday from Paris and will meet for dinner in Rome with counterparts from Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
In Paris on Wednesday, Blinken said the United States was united with the Europeans on seeking a peaceful, stable Syria, a month after the opposition factions toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
But concerns have mounted over Türkiye’s threats against Syrian Kurdish fighters, who have effectively run their own state during the brutal civil war engulfing Syria.
A war monitor said that battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have worked with the United States on Washington's main stated priority -- battling the ISIS extremist group -- but Türkiye says the SDF has links with PKK militants at home.
Blinken in Paris said that Türkiye had "legitimate concerns" and that the SDF should gradually be integrated into a revamped national army, with foreign fighters removed.
"That's a process that's going to take some time. And in the meantime, what is profoundly not in the interest of everything positive we see happening in Syria would be a conflict," Blinken told reporters.
"We'll work very hard to make sure that that doesn't happen."
Blinken said he expected no change on goals in Syria from US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes over on January 20.
During his last term, Trump briefly said he would accede to a plea by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pull out US troops that have been working in Syria with the Kurdish forces.
But he backed down after counter-appeals led by French President Emmanuel Macron.
When to ease sanctions?
Also on the agenda in Rome will be whether and when to ease sanctions on Syria.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that some sanctions "could be lifted quickly".
The US Treasury Department said this week it would ease enforcement on restrictions that affect essential services.
But US officials say they will wait to see progress before any wider easing of sanctions -- and the Biden administration is unlikely in its final days to accept the political costs of removing Syria's victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels from the US "terrorism" blacklist.
While Western powers are largely in synch on Syria, some differences remain.
Blinken reiterated US calls on European countries to repatriate citizens of theirs detained in Syria for working with the ISIS group and languishing in vast camps run by the Kurdish fighters.
France and Britain, with painful memories of attacks by homegrown extremists, have little desire to bring militants back.
The Rome talks come a week after the French and German foreign ministers, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, jointly visited Damascus and met new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to encourage an inclusive transition.
Sharaa, has promised to protect minorities after the fall of the iron-fisted but largely secular Assad.
A senior US official in turn said last month on meeting Sharaa that Washington was dropping a $10-million bounty on his head.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will pay his own visit to Syria on Friday, during which he plans to announce an initial development aid package.
Italy's hard-right government has pledged to reduce immigration. Millions of Syrians sought asylum in Europe during the civil war, triggering a backlash in some parts of the continent that shook up European politics.
In contrast to other major European powers, Italy had moved to normalize ties with Assad just weeks before he fell, presuming at the time that he had effectively won the war.