Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace

Detailed summary

Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement.

ANKARA — Libyan National Army Chief of Staff Khaled Hifter arrived in Ankara on Thursday as Turkey actively pushes for Libya's unification — a high-stakes diplomatic effort aimed at safeguarding Ankara's military foothold alongside its maritime and energy agreements.

Details: Hifter and his delegation first stopped at the Turkish Defense Ministry, where he met with Turkey’s army chief Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu. The Turkish Defense Ministry said the two sides would hold bilateral as well as delegation-level talks during the meeting.

Separately, a statement from the LNA said the visit would last several days but did not provide further details. Neither side identified who else Hifter would meet during the visit.

The visit follows a phone call between Bayraktaroglu and Hifter's younger brother, Saddam, who is the LNA’s deputy commander.

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