Turkey reaffirms support for Libya’s Tripoli government

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his support Friday for Libya’s UN-recognized government, said presidential sources.

Erdogan met with the head of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul and discussed bilateral relations between Turkey and Libya, recent developments in the North African country and regional issues.

The president also said that he supported al-Sarraj for peace and stability in Libya.

He also called for an end to attacks by the illegal militia loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar.

In early April, Haftar, who commands forces loyal to a rival government based in eastern Libya, launched a wide-ranging campaign to take the capital, but his forces have failed to achieve their primary objective, although they have captured several strategic towns and cities in the vicinity.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar