Libyan tribes delegation visit Anadolu Agency in Ankara

ANKARA

Opinion leaders from Libya’s leading tribes visited Anadolu Agency headquarters Wednesday in Ankara to discuss cooperation between the two countries and the latest developments in the war-torn country.

Anadolu Agency's Editor-in-Chief Metin Mutanoglu said the Turkish news agency shares developments in the field and initiatives aimed at ensuring internal peace in Libya with the world in its reality.

He stressed that Libya's stability affects the entire North African region and said Turks support the country’s development and security.

The head of the Supreme Social Council of Tuaregs of Libya, Mevlaye Gdidi, said the group’s messages are delivered to the world through Anadolu Agency correspondents.

Libyans, he said, has been paying the heaviest price in the country, which has gone through wars in recent years.

The Toubou Sheikh and President of the Upper House Ibrahim Vurdku Yasku thanked Turkey for the establishment of a political system through which power can be transferred peacefully in Libya.

Yasku also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for efforts to resolve Libya's ongoing crisis.

He said participants of intra-Libyan talks selected by the UN and the international community do not represent Libyan tribes but he held out hope that meetings will be successful at bringing stability to the country.

The head of the High Council of Imazighen -- or Berbers -- of Libya, Muhammad bin Talib, said he hopes the visit will contribute to improving cooperation between the two countries.

Tunisia will host a UN-sponsored Libyan political dialogue forum on Nov. 9 between representatives of the Internationally-recognized Libyan government and warlord Khalifa Haftar with the intent of reaching an agreement to hold national elections.

A cease-fire deal took effect on Aug. 21, amid accusations by the Libyan army against Haftar’s militia of violating the agreement.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The Government of National Accord was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by forces loyal to warlord Haftar.

The UN recognizes Fayez al-Sarraj's government as the country's legitimate authority, as Tripoli has battled Haftar's militias since April 2019 in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

Turkey also supports the al-Sarraj-led government.

Representatives of the The Toubou, Tuareg and Berber tribes are visiting Turkey at the invitation of Turkish NGO, Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).

Anadolu Agency's Foreign Languages Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Ozturk, Anadolu Agency's International News Editor-in-Chief Faruk Tokat, vice president of the IHH Sait Demir and other officials were also present at the meeting.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz