Turkey to reopen embassy in Libyan capital

By Hamdi Yildiz

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Turkey will reopen its embassy in Libya's capital Tripoli soon, a senior diplomat told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

Turkish Embassy Undersecretary Tufan Hobek’s remarks came as the prime minister of Libya’s UN-backed unity government, Fayez al-Sarraj, received Ahmet Aydin Dogan, Turkey's Tripoli ambassador.

During the meeting at the Al-Hamra Palace in Tripoli, Dogan submitted his letter of credence to Sarraj.

On 25 July 2014, Turkey suspended operations at its Tripoli embassy as the security situation in the country deteriorated.

Libya has been locked in a state of violence and turmoil since 2011, when a bloody popular uprising ended with the fall and death of longtime strongman Muammar Gaddafi.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of government -- one in Tobruk and another in capital Tripoli -- each of which boasts its own military capacity and legislative assembly.

Late last year, Libya’s rival governments signed a UN-backed agreement to establish a unity government in an effort to resolve the country’s six-year political standoff.