Further signaling Ankara’s evolving approach in Libya, Turkish intelligence director Ibrahim Kalin traveled this week to eastern Libya to meet the commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Hifter, as it takes a more assertive role to secure its contested maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean.

Ankara’s outreach to Hifter, coupled with a recent Turkish naval visit, showcases Turkey’s efforts to convince Benghazi, seat of the Hifter-controlled administration in the east, to approve the maritime delimitation deal that Ankara signed in 2019 with Hifter's main rival, Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli.

Turkish and Libyan media outlets reported that Kalin, head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, or MIT, had met with Hifter on Monday in Benghazi. It was Kalin's first publicly known contact with the Libyan strongman in his current capacity.

Kalin and Hifter discussed ways to deepen cooperation, according to a statement issued by the LNA, which also released images of Kalin meeting Hifter’s son Saddam, recently appointed LNA deputy commander in chief. The Turkish government has not released a statement on the visit.