Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and high-ranking officials from his cabinet visited regional allies in Doha and Tripoli in the past two days, strengthening security ties with both governments. There are apparent Qatari concerns that the United States intends to fulfil its threat to reduce its military presence at Doha’s Al-Udeid air base. Turkey and Qatar support the GNA in its battle against the eastern-based forces of General Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia, among others. Analysts say Turkey’s military contributions were vital in helping the GNA reverse the gains made by Haftar’s 14-month offensive to capture Tripoli. Jordanian weekly Al-Hadath reported that Akar and Sarraj had signed a defence pact which would allow Turkey to extend its direct military intervention in Libya.

Source: Libya Today July 04, 2020 05:26 UTC