Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump agreed to "continue their close cooperation" in Libya in a telephone interview on Monday, the Turkish presidency announced. "The two leaders agreed to continue their close cooperation to promote peace and stability in Libya, Turkey's maritime neighbor , " said the presidency.
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Ankara supports the Government of National Union (GNA) recognized by the UN. Turkey has notably increased its military aid to the government of Tripoli, whose forces are confronting those of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strong man of eastern Libya. In particular, Turkey has sent drones and anti-aircraft defense systems to Libya to support the GNA, whose forces have inflicted a severe series of military setbacks on Haftar's in recent weeks.
During a visit to Ankara on June 4, GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said he was "determined" to regain control of all of Libya, after this series of successes against the forces of Khalifa Haftar. In May, the US secretary of state criticized the arms influx into Libya and called for a ceasefire in a telephone conversation with Fayez al-Sarraj.
