As Russia and Turkey broker negotiations in Moscow to convince Libya’s warring parties to sign a permanent truce, Turkey has already set out its Libyan road map with an important red line.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara Jan. 13, while Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, intelligence chief Hakan Fidan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu headed to Moscow. The shared objective of the parties is to secure the continuation of the cease-fire and hammer out a deal between Khalifa Hifter’s forces and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). So far, the multilateral Moscow summit seems to be a fruitful opening for de-escalation. GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj is said to have accepted the truce, while Hifter asked for 24 hours before signing the text.

According to sources in Ankara contacted by Al-Monitor, the Turkish government sees Tripoli as a red line, regardless of whether the cease-fire holds. Turkey will seek to prevent Hifter’s forces from entering Tripoli at any cost, even through military measures. Erdogan made a clear commitment to Sarraj to that effect when the two met in Istanbul Jan. 12, the sources said.

Some 80 Turkish military personnel are currently in Tripoli. About 10 Turkish officers are training cadets at the Mitiga military academy, while others are involved in train-and-equip activities. The most recent group sent to Libya, about 40 servicemen, will operate the Milkar-3A3 V/UHF radio jammer system provided by Turkey for electronically jamming Tripoli’s airspace. Additionally, a Koral radar jammer might be dispatched to Tripoli in the coming days.