Turkish Foreign Minister to Visit Libya, Meet GNA Head on December 22 - Ministry

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st December, 2018) Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu will visit Libya on December 22, a statement published on the ministry website said.

"H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, will pay a one-day visit to Libya on 22 December 2018 upon the invitation of the Hon. Mr. Taher Siyala, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Libya," the ministry said in a published statement.

During the visit Cavusoglu will meet with high-ranked officials from the Government of National Accord (GNA), including GNA Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.

During the visit, the bilateral relations of the two countries will be discussed in detail, accompanied by a an exchange of views on recent regional and international development.

Libya has been in a continuous conflict since 2011, when the government of Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and the leader was killed. The country is divided in several parts controlled by different governing bodies. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament - House of Representatives - which is headquartered in Tobruk and backed by Libyan National Army. At the same time, UN-backed GNA controls the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli.

On November 12, Palermo Conference on Libya, attended by delegations from 36 countries, was hosted by the Italian government. Due to the exclusion of Turkey from the informal mini-summit attended by the leaders of conflicting Libyan groups as well as the delegation heads of other countries, the Turkish delegation withdrew.