Foreign Minister Fidan will hold meetings in Tripoli and Benghazi during his two-day visit to Libya, which begins today.
The talks are expected to address measures to strengthen Türkiye-Libya relations on the basis of mutual benefit in the political, commercial, energy, military and defense fields.
Libya’s political process to be discussed
Fidan is expected to exchange views on the latest developments in Libya’s political process. The talks will emphasize the importance attached to Libya’s stability, while the United States’ initiatives and the United Nations-led political process will also be discussed.
Türkiye is expected to convey its readiness to contribute to steps taken under Libyan ownership and leadership to establish lasting peace and maintain calm in Libya.
Fidan is also expected to emphasize Türkiye’s approach under its “One Libya” policy, which makes no distinction between the west, east and south. In this context, strengthening dialogue with Libyan officials and protecting the two countries’ shared rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean through a win-win approach will be on the agenda.
Energy and economic cooperation
The talks will also address the desire to develop energy cooperation between Türkiye and Libya on the basis of mutual benefit and to implement new projects.
The safe and sustainable continuation of the activities of Turkish companies operating in Libya, particularly in the contracting sector, is considered likely to contribute to the advancement of economic and commercial cooperation.
Trade between the two countries reached $3.5 billion in 2025. The 22nd meeting of the Türkiye-Libya Joint Economic Commission was also held in Tripoli on January 24, 2026.
The Turkish contracting sector undertook its first overseas project in Libya in 1972. Turkish companies have undertaken 633 projects in the country to date, worth $31 billion. Libya is the fourth country where Turkish companies have undertaken the most projects, while the total value of more than 40 ongoing projects in the country exceeds $2.3 billion.
New steps have also been taken in energy cooperation. The Turkish Petroleum Corporation won the right to jointly operate two oil fields in Libya’s first licensing tender held in 17 years, in February 2026. The agreement concerning these fields was signed in Tripoli on June 15, 2026.
Regional developments and defense issues
Fidan is also expected to exchange views on regional and global developments, particularly the Palestinian issue and the situation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
The importance of addressing regional issues through regional ownership, joint efforts, dialogue and diplomacy is expected to be emphasized. In this context, the strategic role of military and defense cooperation will also be discussed.
The talks are also expected to include assessments that efforts to achieve sustainable peace in Palestine must be strengthened and that the international community must adopt a principled, determined and united position.
Background to Türkiye-Libya relations
Türkiye and Libya have relations based on historical, cultural and human ties. Relations between the two countries are being developed in various fields on the basis of mutual benefit, with the aim of contributing to lasting peace, stability and security in Libya.
High-level reciprocal visits continue in this context. Libya’s Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Antalya on April 18, 2026, as part of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Türkiye maintains dialogue with all sides in line with its “One Libya” policy, which prioritizes preserving Libya’s unity and territorial integrity. Ankara also supports United Nations efforts to organize credible, fair and transparent elections in Libya and emphasizes that political steps must be carried out under Libyan ownership.
Türkiye is also continuing efforts to unify Libya’s military institutions. The active participation of forces from western and eastern Libya in the EFES 2026 exercise, held from April 11 to May 21, 2026, is considered a step toward this goal.
Ridvan Sezer | Editor-in-Chief
