On Saturday, the Turkish Presidency sent a motion to Parliament with a request to extend the deployment of Turkish troops in Libya for an additional 18 months.
The motion said: “The risks and threats are coming from Libya to Turkey and the whole region. If the Libyan National Army attacks, Turkey’s interests both in the Mediterranean basin and North Africa will be adversely affected.”
It added: “Turkey, within the Memorandum of Security and Military Cooperation signed with Libya, will continue to contribute to the training and consultancy support to Libya.”
In January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan started moving Turkish army units to Libya for the sake of coordination and stability, stating that Turkish soldiers began moving to Libya in phases.
Notably, the official Spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA) Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari announced on Thursday the release of a Turkish ship, after the shipowners paid a fine for sailing in a restricted area.