Libya, Chad Agree on Securing Border to Fight Extremists

Libyan ministerial delegation holds meetings with Chadian officials in N'Djamena on Tuesday (Libyan government)
Libyan ministerial delegation holds meetings with Chadian officials in N'Djamena on Tuesday (Libyan government)
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Libya, Chad Agree on Securing Border to Fight Extremists

Libyan ministerial delegation holds meetings with Chadian officials in N'Djamena on Tuesday (Libyan government)
Libyan ministerial delegation holds meetings with Chadian officials in N'Djamena on Tuesday (Libyan government)

Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity Abdelhamid Dbeibeh and the head of Chad’s Transitional Military Council, Lieutenant-General Mohamed Idriss Deby, agreed Tuesday on securing joint borders to stop the infiltration of extremist groups and fighters.

The Libyan Prime Minister visited the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, on Tuesday, accompanied by Foreign Minister Najla Al-Manqoush, Interior Minister Khaled Mazen, and GNU Chief of Staff Mohamed Al-Haddad.

The delegation was received at the airport by Chadian Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke and Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat.

The meeting between Dbeibeh and Deby discussed advancing relations, strengthening cooperation, particularly on security, and supporting efforts in fighting mercenaries and terrorism.

The Libyan PM said his government wanted to strengthen bilateral relations with Chad as part of continuous cooperation between the two countries.

The two officials discussed efforts to defeat terrorism, secure borders and activate the quadripartite agreement aimed at reducing the risk of transnational organized crime.

In May 2018, a four-way agreement was signed between Libya, Niger, Sudan and Chad, stipulating the deployment of forces to secure the joint border and combat cross-border crimes and undocumented migration.

In this regard, Dbeibeh called on the international community to support Libyan-Chadian efforts to secure their borders.

He also called for the establishment of a joint Libyan-Chadian committee, including economic and trade experts, capable to define the common priorities of both countries and to place the mechanisms for implementing them.

The Libyan PM then discussed ways to increase the volume of trade exchange between the two sides and means to facilitate the movement of goods, and the possibility for Chad to benefit from Libyan ports.

Last August, Dbeibeh and Presidential Council member Musa al-Koni agreed on the importance of removing Chadian mercenaries from Libyan territories.



Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).