According to the Wall Street Journal, officials in Ankara have turned to Moscow to cooperate in the civil war in the oil-rich country • General Huffar's forces have stopped a ship with Turkish crew

• Erdogan strives to understand with Putin // Photo: IP

Weeks after the alliance with Russia to divide control of northeastern Syria, Turkey is trying to convince the Kremlin to cooperate with it in the Libyan civil war as well. This was reported on Sunday in the Wall Street Journal.

According to sources in the issue, the Ankara authorities have approached Moscow to look into ways to prevent a potential collision. It has also been reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to discuss the Libyan issue in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he arrives in Ankara on January 8.

Photo: The lobby center newspaper

The strategic interest shared by Russia and Turkey in Libya is the large oil deposits and the marine space that is adjacent to Europe. Since April, Ankara has announced its support for Tripoli's government, which is facing General Khalifa Heffer, who heads the "National Libyan Army" and holds his own government in the eastern state, in Benghazi.

However, Turkey fears going into the Libyan war that will provoke tensions with Russia, which, despite expressing support for the government in Tripoli, has also supported General Heffer. Turkish fears grew last month when a report was published stating that Russian forces in contact with the Kremlin were working on Huffter's side, helping him to tip his favor in the war.

The Wall Street Journal report comes against a record of a ship's arrest with a Turkish crew by Huffter's forces. According to social media reports, the ship carried a flag of Granada, a Caribbean country, and sailed towards the port of Ras al-Hilal, where it was to be inspected for its cargo. The post featured photos of Heftar's soldiers as they board the ship and question three Turkish crew members. Another video shows the moments of taking over the craft.

Russia aims to wedge NATO through Turkey // Photo: Reuters

According to the report, Erdogan aims to establish some coordination to ensure the safety of Turkish civilians in Libya and to persuade Moscow to withdraw its loyal forces. A Turkish source told the American newspaper that they spoke to the Russians in order to avoid a confrontation.

Moscow denies the presence of forces loyal to them in Libya, which has been suffering from ongoing chaos since the collapse of Muammar Qadfi's regime in 2011. Russian officials have not addressed these reports.

Huffter has been leading the uprising in the third civil war since the Arab Spring // Photo: Reuters

At a press conference last Thursday, Putin said his country is maintaining ties with both sides in the Libyan conflict. He added that Moscow had a regular dialogue with its partners, including Turkey, Europe and other countries. The Wall Street Journal noted that the Russian stance remained vague, and while Putin has supported the Tripoli government since 2015, he has simultaneously been assisting Huffter's forces.

Saudi Arabia, France, Egypt and the UAE supported General Huffter on the grounds that he would block Islamic State forces in the country. Various commentators have speculated that Russia may see Turkey's friction with NATO as an opportunity to pull it to its side.

Relations have also been strengthened by Moscow's agreement to the Turkish takeover of a "security strip" in northern Syria. However, Erdogan's statements sparked tensions with the Kremlin as he pledged to deploy Turkish forces and advisers to fight with government officials in Tripoli, in addition to a defense agreement between the states. One of his statements made him very angry when he said on December 10: "As you know, there is a Russian security company that sent mercenaries," adding, "If Libya asks us for troops - we will send them."