Menfi visited Turkey for discussions about Mercenary withdrawal from Libya

27th March 2021

1 minute read

Discussions were held, on Friday, between new head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi in Istanbul, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Indeed, the gathering concentrated on the developments in the North African country and collaboration with Ankara. In this context, Turkish presidency sources stated that the talks held by president spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, undertaken means to develop Libyan-Turkish ties on all levels.

Erdogan invited Menfi to Turkey, and it’s his first to the country since taking a position at the Presidential Council that would led the country until elections in December.

Moreover, sources stated that Menfi and Erdogan talked about the new Libyan administration’s commitment to understandings and deals that were struck by the Government of National Accord, which was directed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Erdogan showed his backing to the new Government of National Unity (GNU) as it tries to reach stability in Libya. Due to the international pressure, Turkey started to remove this week Syrian mercenaries that it had brought to Libya to support the GNA during its conflict against the Libyan National Army in 2019. Until now, Ankara has withdrawn some 120 Syrians.

Before his travel to Istanbul, Menfi made a visit to Cairo on Thursday where he held discussions with President Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, who affirmed the Egypt’s full support to the new interim Libyan authority.

Of Menfi’s assistants said in a telephone call with Asharq Al-Awsat, that his visit to Turkey was to resolve the mercenaries file, particularly pro-Turkish Syrian fighters.

The assistant also said with a condition of anonymity that Menfi was trying to follow international and regional support and demands for finishing foreign presence in Libya as soon as possible.

He also said: The withdrawal should set the right conditions on the ground to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December.