Turkish Intelligence Chief Visits Libya Amid Political Crisis
Sudan Events – Agencies
The Turkish intelligence chief visited Libya at a time when supporters of the Tripoli government are seeking a way out of a political impasse that has halted oil exports and endangered four years of relative stability. A Turkish security source said on Friday that İbrahim Kalın, head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, met with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Thursday and other officials. Dbeibeh heads the UN-recognized and Turkey-backed Government of National Unity in Libya.
The source, according to Reuters, mentioned that Kalın expressed Ankara’s hope for resolving conflicts in Libya “through national agreement and continued de-escalation.” Kalın also reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to Libya’s unity and stability.
This visit marks the highest level of contact between the two sides since Dbeibeh’s visit to Ankara in late May. It comes as rival Libyan authorities work to defuse a political confrontation primarily surrounding the ousting of long-time Central Bank of Libya Governor Sadiq al-Kabir last month. The bank receives revenues from Libyan oil exports, the main source of almost all national income, and distributes them.
During the crisis, factions in eastern Libya announced the suspension of all oil production, demanding the reversal of “Kabir’s” dismissal, which raised concerns over ending four years of relative stability in Libya, which has experienced little peace since 2011 and split in 2014 between eastern and western factions.
