Türkiye reaffirms ‘one Libya’ policy as Fidan visits both sides

ANKARA (MNTV) — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to Libyan unity, presenting Türkiye’s outreach to both of the country’s rival administrations as an effort to promote stability and national cohesion.

Libya has been split since 2014 between a UN-recognized government in the west, based in the capital Tripoli, and eastern institutions aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar, based in Benghazi. Following a visit to both, Fidan said his meetings were extensive and productive, reflecting Türkiye’s “One Libya” policy of engaging all regions without treating the country’s divisions as grounds for separate diplomatic tracks. 

He said Türkiye considers Libya’s stability directly tied to its own interests, and that Libyans must be free to determine their political future.

In Tripoli, Fidan met Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Presidential Council chairman Mohamed al-Menfi, and senior security, defense, and intelligence officials. 

In Benghazi — a notable step, given Türkiye’s long military backing of the western government against Haftar’s 2019–20 offensive — he met Haftar himself, his deputy and son Saddam Haftar, parliament speaker Aguila Saleh, and Belkacem Haftar, who heads a reconstruction fund.

The outreach to both sides shows Ankara seeking to position itself as a broker across Libya’s divide rather than relying solely on its Tripoli ties. 

Security and defense cooperation remains central to Türkiye’s Libya policy; Fidan also visited the Turkish Armed Forces task group command in Tripoli, underscoring Ankara’s continued military presence. 

Whether the strategy yields results, analysts note, will depend on whether sustained engagement can translate into genuine political coordination between the rival camps.