Türkiye described the situation in Libya as “fragile”, saying it was keen on working with Egypt and other parties to achieve stability and security there.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “The only way to unify Libya lies in holding transparent and democratic elections. Türkiye supports the unity of all parties.”
Speaking at the Mediterranean Dialogues forum in Rome, Italy, he remarked that some countries are trying to “compete” with Türkiye over Libya, noting the presence of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group.
He added however, that the cooperation in Libya is greater than the competition between rivals.
“We hope we can work side-by-side with Egypt,” Cavusoglu went on to say.
“Ankara is keen on working with each of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to achieve interests and security in Libya and restore stability there,” he stressed.
Furthermore, he said it was “essential” for the parliament and Higher Council of State to lay the constitutional foundation for the electoral process.
“They said that they wanted to hold the elections, but they have yet to take tangible steps to that end,” he added.
Differences over Libya have stalled Ankara’s efforts to normalize relations with Cairo.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had in October said these efforts have not made progress due to Ankara’s practices, urging it to commit to international norms and standards.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in comments broadcast on Sunday that a process of building relations with Egypt will start with ministers of the two countries meeting and that the talks would develop from there.
After years of tension between the two countries, Erdogan shook hands with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Qatar last week in what was described in an Egyptian presidency statement as a new start in bilateral relations between them.
