The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbayba reaffirmed their commitment to the controversial maritime delimitation pact in the eastern Mediterranean that they signed in 2019, following their meeting in Ankara on Monday.
«Today, we renewed our determination» for this pact, Erdogan said during a joint press conference with the Libyan prime minister.
«With regard to the pacts signed between our countries, in particular the maritime delimitation pact, we confirm that these are based on valid foundations and serve the interests of our two countries,» Dbeiba said for his part.
However, the Libyan prime minister also stressed that his goal is to create a «Mediterranean dialogue», i.e. between the Mediterranean countries, where states can discuss their common interests, noting that it is very important to start a dialogue that takes into account all stakeholders.
The two leaders also signed a series of agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation, particularly economic cooperation, between the two countries.
«We want to strengthen our solidarity and cooperation (...) We will support the government of national unity in the same way we supported the previous legitimate government (of Tripoli),» the Turkish president stressed.
Turkish companies will play «an important role in the reconstruction of Libya», said the Libyan Prime Minister, who is due to meet with Turkish businessmen on Tuesday.
Erdogan also announced that his country will provide 150,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Libya, which has been severely affected by the pandemic.
He also hinted that Turkey will reopen its consulate in Benghazi, in eastern Libya, «as soon as conditions allow».
