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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said late Wednesday that Ankara will continue to play a constructive and mediating role to bridge the divide between Libya's eastern and western factions. He also expressed optimism about negotiations aimed at reunifying the country after holding meetings with leaders on both sides.
"We will continue our constructive role here, as well as our role as a mediator," Fidan told reporters in Benghazi after completing meetings in Tripoli and Benghazi during his Libya visit.
Fidan said his meetings with leaders from both sides of Libya's political divide had given him a "positive" impression, noting broad support for reunification.
He said officials in Tripoli strongly backed efforts to reunite eastern and western Libya, though negotiations were proceeding with certain conditions attached.
In Tripoli, Fidan met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Presidential Council Chairman Mohamed al-Menfi, and High Council of State Chairman Mohamed al-Miftah Takala, among other officials.
He also discussed bilateral cooperation and current developments with the prime minister's National Security Adviser Ibrahim Dbeibeh, acting Defense Minister Abdulsalam Zubi, Interior Minister Emad al-Trabelsi, acting Chief of General Staff Salah al-Namroush, and military intelligence chief Mahmoud Hamza.
As part of the visit, Fidan also visited the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) Libya Task Group Command in Tripoli.
In Benghazi, Fidan met with Khalifa Haftar, commander of forces in eastern Libya, his deputy, Gen. Saddam Haftar, House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh and Belkacem Haftar, head of Libya's Development and Reconstruction Fund.
"All of them are key actors in Benghazi, and they also have strong support for Libya's integration and reunification," Fidan said.
He stressed that Türkiye's balanced relations with both eastern and western Libya were widely appreciated. "Türkiye's ability to maintain relations with both the east and the west on an equal footing, and to be a country that genuinely and realistically wants Libya's unity and territorial integrity, is greatly appreciated here," Fidan said.
"A great leader like our president, and a strong country like Türkiye, adopting such a policy further increases the value and worth of this policy," he noted.
Fidan argued that Libyans on both sides were aware of the potential strength and prosperity that could emerge from a unified country.
He said Libya's reunification could help resolve not only the country's own problems but also contribute significantly to Africa, the Muslim world and the wider region, and that he was leaving Libya with an optimistic outlook.
"There are certain obstacles. We will discuss these obstacles with our relevant institutions and colleagues. We also need to hold consultations with other countries," Fidan said.
Fidan referred to a proposal put forward by the United States concerning the reunification process, saying Washington was advancing the initiative in consultation with Türkiye.
"There is a paper the United States has put forward. That paper contains certain elements. They are proceeding in consultation with us," Fidan said.
He added that Türkiye was coordinating with the U.S., Egypt and other regional countries to help move the negotiations forward.
Libya has experienced years of political division and conflict since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Fidan said the country had entered a relatively calm period since 2019 and credited Turkish foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership with making a constructive contribution to maintaining stability during that time.
Fidan pointed to growing economic ties between Türkiye and Libya, saying Turkish contractors are undertaking major projects in both Tripoli and Benghazi.
"The professional, qualified and high-quality work carried out by Turkish companies is seriously appreciated and approved by both sides," Fidan said, adding that more Turkish companies should enter the Libyan market.
Fidan said Libya needs not only more Turkish construction firms but also industrial companies capable of establishing factories in the country, highlighting Libya's abundant energy resources, relatively low labor costs and favorable market access for certain products as factors that could attract investment.
"We are trying to use these good relations we have established with both the east and the west to help the two sides unite and create a single, sovereign and independent Libya," Fidan said.
Separately, in a post on the social media platform X, Fidan described the visit as a concrete manifestation of Türkiye's "One Libya" policy, which he said does not distinguish between the country's western, eastern and southern regions.
"Türkiye does not see Libya's peace and stability as separate from our own," Fidan wrote.
"It is essential that our Libyan brothers and sisters build their own future freely, securely, and prosperously. In line with the vision put forward by our President Erdogan, we will continue to support strengthening dialogue and cooperation between Libya's west and east and contribute to Libya's peace, stability, and prosperity," he added.
Fidan also visited the tomb of Libyan national hero Omar al-Mukhtar in Benghazi on Wednesday.
Fidan said he would visit Egypt on Thursday, describing the country as a "friend and ally" with which Türkiye works closely on regional issues, including the conflicts and crises in the Gulf and Palestine.
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