Turkish representatives met with North African officials in Tunisia to discuss Turkey’s relationship with the Maghreb region.
Emrullah Isler, Turkey’s special envoy to Libya, re-emphasized Turkey’s support for Libya as well as other North African nations.
“Turkey backs a consensus government in Libya which is welcomed by the all Libyans,” said Isler. “The stability of North Africa is stability for Turkey as well.”
Isler also reiterated Turkey’s support for “the will of the Arab Spring countries’ peoples and the Arab democracies with a view to find a better future for this region.”
The Turkish envoy’s statements come at a time when the Libyan Government has been struggling to establish full authority over Libya. The Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) was a byproduct of a Libyan political agreement that was signed in Morocco in December 2015.
Since its establishment, the GNA has been opposed by some members of the parliament, which used to be based in Tripoli but due to escalating violence in 2014 was forced to move to Tobruk.
A five year long civil conflict has left the country with a deteriorating economy, political instability and weakened security. Only recently was Libya able to export oil, which makes up 95 percent of its revenue, from major oil ports. A couple of months into production, Libya has only managed to reach of a fifth of its potential volume of oil exports. Since 2013, Libya has lost $68 billion because of the set-back in oil production.
