Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan describes Vladimir Putin as a "friend". In the past few years he has not met a head of state more often than his Russian counterpart. But as much as the two publicly display their supposed closeness, they are far apart on essential foreign policy issues.
Russia and Turkey have different views of Crimea, Cyprus, and northwest Syria. Another conflict should now arise with Libya. The Libyan civil war between Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj's government and allied militias on the one hand and the so-called Libyan Arab Army (LNA) of warlord Khalifa Haftar on the other is expanding into a proxy war:
- Italy, Turkey, Qatar support Sarraj, who is also recognized by the UN as a legitimate head of government, but has little to say outside of the capital, Tripoli.
- Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and, to a lesser extent, France have sided with Haftar.
The LNA has been besieging Tripoli for months; Haftar's troops are supported by Russian military advisers, among others. The warlord once again declared a storm on the capital last weekend.
"We can no longer take this slowly"
Sarraj is looking for support from abroad, especially in Turkey. Erdogan and Sarradsch signed a military assistance agreement that, in addition to the delivery of weapons, also allowed Turkish troops to be stationed in Libya.
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Erdogan announced that it would expand its engagement in the civil war country. "We can no longer take this slowly. The war is progressing. The Russian Wagner group, Egypt and Abu Dhabi are supporting Haftar's troops that are not recognized by anyone else," he said.
AP
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Libya's Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj
Ankara has already agreed to deliver weapons to the Sarraj regime despite an international embargo. According to a report by the Turkish newspaper "Cumhuriyet", Libyan fighters close to the government may be treated for free in Turkish hospitals.
Erdogan sees his country as a regulatory power in the Muslim world
Erdogan's ally, right-wing extremist Devlet Bahceli, is urging the government to send its own soldiers to Libya. Erdogan supports Sarraj for several reasons:
- He is ideologically close to him. Like the regime in Tripoli, Erdogan maintains good contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood.
- Erdogan pursues economic interests. Turkish companies are active in Libya. In November, Erdogan and Sarradsch also agreed on the exploitation of the gas deposits off the Greek island of Crete. The direct Mediterranean countries Greece, Cyprus and Egypt protested against the Libyan-Turkish agreement, as did the EU.
- The president also wants to strengthen Turkey's role in the region. Erdogan sees his country as a regulatory power in the Muslim world. But its relationship with a number of countries in the region, such as Egypt or Saudi Arabia, has been shattered. Erdogan urgently needs new allies.
The engagement in Libya poses a risk for the Turkish president. If he actually deployed soldiers in Tripoli, Egypt or the Emirates would probably follow suit. Experts warn of a second Syria. How the conflict will develop depends - once again - on Russia.
Putin meets Erdogan in Turkey on January 8. Libya should then be at the top of the agenda.
