Two Turkish F491 military frigates docked at Libya’s Al-Khums naval base, which is under the control of the Turkish Ministry of Defense, according to the Libya Press newspaper. This is part of the military cooperation agreement signed by the former Government of National Accord (GNA), with Turkey.
Ankara signed a memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation in November 2019.
In June, the Turkish Parliament approved a motion to extend the mission of the Turkish troops in Libya for additional 18 months.
The memorandum signed by Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that “the efforts initiated by Libya after the events of February 2011, to build democratic institutions, were in vain due to armed conflicts that led to the emergence of a fragmented administrative structure in the country.”
It recalled the signing of the Skhirat Agreement in 2015 in Morocco, under the auspices of the United Nations, after nearly a year of negotiations between all Libyan parties, in order to establish a ceasefire and preserve the country’s territorial integrity. The memorandum claimed that Turkey sent its forces to Libya in accordance with Article 92 of the Turkish Constitution, on 2 January 2020.
In October 2022, Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar claimed that the presence of the Turkish military in Libya “is not as a foreign power.” This came during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba in Tripoli.
He claimed that the Turkish armed forces present in Libya are not a foreign power, “but rather are elements of a friendly and brotherly country to Libya.”
Akar added that the Turkish armed forces are continuing their military training in 5 centers in Libya. He noted that Ankara is ready to provide everything necessary to prevent the resumption of conflicts and bloodshed in Libya.