Turkey welcomes approval of Libya's new government

ANKARA

Turkey on Wednesday welcomed Libya's parliament voiced confidence in the new government formed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

"We welcome the Government of National Unity, which Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh proposed to the Libyan House of Representatives on March 10, 2021," the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.

"We congratulate Dbeibeh and the new government, and wish them success," it added.

Turkey hopes that the new government will take rapid and concrete steps to provide public services, run the election process, unite institutions, and achieve comprehensive national consensus for the welfare of friendly and brotherly people of Libya, the statement noted.

In this process, it will be particularly important to extend the powers of the new government to all regions of Libya, it added.

"In this important period until the elections, we invite all sections of Libya and the international community to support the Government of National Unity in the construction of a democratic, stable and prosperous Libya."

Turkey will continue to stand by the people of Libya and provide all kinds of support to meet their expectations for welfare and peace, the statement underlined.

Earlier Wednesday, Libya's parliament voiced confidence in Dbeibeh's new unity government by a majority vote.

Dbeibeh proposed a unity government of 27 members on Saturday, promising that the government will prioritize "improving services, unifying state institutions, and ending the transitional period by holding elections."

On Feb. 5, Libya's rival political groups agreed in UN-mediated talks to form an interim unity government to lead the country to elections this December, where Dbeibeh was designated as the prime minister and tasked with forming a new government.

Libyans hope that this will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011.

The war was exacerbated when warlord Khalifa Haftar, supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia, and France, among others, carried out a military onslaught to topple the Tripoli-based internationally recognized government for control of the North African country.