Saddam Haftar’s visit to Ankara marks shift in Turkey’s Libya policy

ISTANBUL — In a go to carrying symbolic weight, Maj. Gen. Saddam Haftar, commander of the Libyan Nationwide Military (LNA) Floor Forces, met with senior Turkish officers in Ankara on April 4, 2025 — the anniversary of Libya’s second civil struggle that started in 2018.

Haftar, son of japanese Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, was hosted by Turkish Land Forces commander Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu. Defence Minister Yaşar Güler additionally held talks with him. The go to marks a uncommon occasion of direct contact between the Turkish Armed Forces and the LNA, which had been on opposing sides throughout Libya’s most up-to-date civil battle.

The assembly comes shortly after reviews that U.S. oil large Chevron has expressed curiosity in exploring a 47,000 km² space south of Crete. The designated space overlaps with Libya’s claimed Unique Financial Zone (EEZ) and aligns with Greece’s place based mostly on the equidistance precept, as seen within the so-called Seville Map.

Greek officers have known as this growth a “sport changer” and an indication of U.S. help for his or her maritime claims.

In keeping with Serhat Süha Çubukçuoğlu, a senior fellow on the Abu Dhabi-based TRENDS Analysis and Advisory consultancy, the timing of Haftar’s go to isn’t any coincidence.

“It seems to be Ankara’s response to Greece’s strikes within the Jap Mediterranean,” he stated. The go to alerts a rising dialogue between Turkey and the Benghazi-based authorities, which had beforehand rejected a 2019 maritime memorandum of understanding signed between Ankara and the Tripoli authorities.

Çubukçuoğlu famous that Haftar agreed in precept to obtain Turkish-made armed unmanned aerial automobiles and obtain coaching and gear for LNA forces. If this cooperation progresses, it might revive the stalled maritime deal and pave the best way for Turkish hydrocarbon exercise in Libyan waters—just like Turkey’s latest strikes in Somalia.

Turkish Ministry of Defence sources described the go to as a step towards reconciliation and nationwide unity in Libya.

Through the Second Libyan Civil Conflict, Turkey supplied army help to the UN-recognized Authorities of Nationwide Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. This included the deployment of drones and personnel, serving to the GNA repel Haftar’s forces and recapture strategic websites such because the al-Watiya airbase in 2020. The most recent engagement with the LNA seems to point a recalibration of Ankara’s coverage to incorporate outreach to japanese Libyan actors.