Türkiye to reopen consulate in eastern Libya soon: Turkish FM Fidan

Türkiye will reopen its consulate general in Benghazi, eastern Libya soon, the Turkish foreign minister has said.

“Türkiye does not want any renewed conflict in Libya,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a joint press conference on Tuesday with his Maltese counterpart Ian Borg at the Prime Ministry Palace in Valletta, the capital of Malta, an island nation some hundreds of kilometres off the coast of Libya.

"We want Libya to resolve its problems through dialogue. We also do not want the current existing division between the east and west to become permanent," said Fidan.

“Türkiye's relations with the eastern side are improving. Joint work with actors in the region is underway,” Fidan said, adding that Turkish companies in the region have also resumed work.

Planned visit to Libya

Türkiye continues its joint efforts with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and other friendly regional countries to play a constructive role on the Libyan issue, Fidan said.

Fidan said he is scheduled to visit Libya after his Malta visit to meet with high-level Libyan officials.

He underlined that during the meetings, he would reiterate Türkiye’s constructive policy for resolving the issue.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the 2011 ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, who later died.