Skip to main content

Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace

Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh of Libya on the sidelines of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Antalya, Turkey, on Nov. 12, 2026.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) met with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh of Libya on the sidelines of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Antalya, Turkey, on Nov. 12, 2026. — Republic of Turkey Directorate of Communications

ANKARA — Libyan National Army Chief of Staff Khaled Hifter arrived in Ankara on Thursday as Turkey actively pushes for Libya's unification — a high-stakes diplomatic effort aimed at safeguarding Ankara's military foothold alongside its maritime and energy agreements.

Details: Hifter and his delegation first stopped at the Turkish Defense Ministry, where he met with Turkey’s army chief Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu. The Turkish Defense Ministry said the two sides would hold bilateral as well as delegation-level talks during the meeting. 

Separately, a statement from the LNA said the visit would last several days but did not provide further details. Neither side identified who else Hifter would meet during the visit.

The visit follows a phone call between Bayraktaroglu and Hifter's younger brother, Saddam, who is the LNA’s deputy commander.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish