Libya's parliament speaker affirms rapprochement with Türkiye

By Moataz Wanees

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - The speaker of Libya's parliament has affirmed a rapprochement with Türkiye, stating that he would visit Ankara in the near future.

"There is rapprochement with Türkiye ... there is no permanent rupture or lasting adversary. Politics is flexible and subject to development and change," Aguila Saleh said late on Wednesday in an interview with a local broadcaster.

"A visit to Türkiye is planned, but it has yet to be scheduled due to recent events in Libya," he told Al-Massar TV.

Early in July, Libyan protesters stormed and set fire to the premises of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (parliament), calling for the abolition of legislative and executive bodies and the holding of elections as soon as possible.

The Tobruk-based parliament elected Fathi Bashagha as prime minister in a Feb. 10 session, which most deputies in the country's west did not attend on the grounds that the mandate of the Government of National Unity (GNU) had expired on Dec. 24, 2021. On March 1, the Bashagha-led government received a vote of confidence.

Meanwhile, GNU Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh has accused the parliament of deviating from the roadmap determined in the Geneva Agreement and said he is in charge and will hand over power only to an elected government.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar