Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday in New York vowed that his country would not accept any arrangement that runs contrary to Libya’s sovereign interests.
This was during a meeting with the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi.
Erdogan and al-Menfi held a closed-door meeting at the Turkish House (Turkevi Centre) on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The talks focused on bilateral relations and developments in Libya and the region, according to a statement from the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
The Turkish leader gave al-Menfi an assurance that Turkey is continuing its efforts to support stability in Libya and emphasised the need to maintain a process based on dialogue and reconciliation, amidst ongoing political efforts to reach a lasting solution to the protracted crisis in the North African country.
Erdogan and al-Menfi also focused their talks on strengthening bilateral cooperation across several spheres of human endeavour.
According to the Turkish Presidency, the two leaders specifically discussed energy, defence,
and mining – areas where Ankara intends to further develop its cooperation with Tripoli.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the two leaders to address developments affecting the wider region.
President Erdogan reaffirmed to the Libyan leader that, given the historical and cultural ties between the two countries, Turkey will continue to assign great importance to the security and well-being of the Libyan people.
Finally, the Turkish President invited Mohamed al-Menfi to attend the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for Antalya in November.
The invitation comes as Turkey seeks to highlight its role in the international climate discourse alongside strengthening relations with Libya.
MK/AK/Sf/fss/as/APA