Joining conflict in Libya, Turkey sees economic gains

CAIRO (AP) When the Turkish president signed a security agreement last year to support one side of the Libyan civil war, another agreement was waiting to be signed by his new proteges on the same day: a memorandum redrawing the maritime borders of the two countries.

In Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s note, Turkey and Libya claim large areas of the Mediterranean Sea and the potential natural gas deposits there. The deal served Turkey’s long-standing goal of finding a partner to support its demands.

UN-backed Libyan government officials in the capital Tripoli first disclosed to The Associated Press the deliberations that led Turkey to become a major intermediary in the war, facing Russia. They describe the relationship as necessary and say Turkey’s foray into the conflict goes hand in hand with its economic views.

Several officials said their side reluctantly struck deals with Turkey late last year, believing they had no choice. They desperately needed an ally as their adversary in the war, Libyan Commander Khalifa Hifter, rushed into Tripoli with his forces, bolstered by Russian, Emirati and Egyptian support.

It was like a game of compromise, said an official in Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj’s office. They took advantage of our weakness at the time. He and other officials spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for their safety in a country largely ruled by an array of militias.

Ultimately, Turkey sent troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries and other military backers who helped pro-Sarraj forces repel the Hifters’ assault this spring, preventing the collapse of the based administration. in Tripoli and reversing the tide of the war.

But Ankaras’ role is only one aspect of how outside powers exploit and fuel civil war in this oil-rich North African country.

Russia has sent weapons, air defense systems and mercenaries to the Libyan front lines to support the Hifters offensive, launched last year and aimed at capturing Tripoli. This aid continued even after Hifter’s withdrawal, although Russia denied any role in the Libyan conflict.

The interventions escalate a civil war that began after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Hifter controls eastern and southern Libya. Sarraj’s government controls Tripoli and its environs to the west.

Erdogan only admitted to sending high-level advisers to help pro-Sarraj forces. In fact, Ankara deployed a few hundred troops and around 3,500 to 3,800 Syrian mercenaries during the first quarter of the year, according to a Pentagon report last week. Turkey has also sent arms, military equipment and air defense systems.

Sarrajs’ office did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment on the relationship with Turkey.

A Libyan official admitted to the PA that the government in Tripoli is entirely dependent on Turkey. However, we wouldn’t have reached this point without the Hifters’ offense, he said.

Officials said Turkey pushed the government for more than a year to approve the maritime deal, but Sarraj resisted. In part, he felt that he did not have the power to conclude international agreements, being the head of a transitional government. He may also have hesitated to ensure that Mediterranean claims were rejected by Europeans.

This was relentless pressure, an official said, adding that Islamists in the Sarrajs administration also wielded influence in favor of Ankara. Turkey was the only country that promised support, and we only agreed after all other doors were closed.

The security and maritime agreements were signed at the end of November. Under this agreement, Libya and Turkey claim contiguous parts of the Mediterranean and exploration rights. Greece disputes the agreement, considering that the waters are part of its continental shelf. The EU has said it violates international law and poses a threat to stability.

Turkey has long wanted to change the old borders, and its will has become urgent as Egypt, Israel and Cyprus set out to exploit newly discovered natural gas fields in their waters.

We are tearing up maps of the eastern Mediterranean that were drawn up to imprison us on the mainland, said Erdogan MP Fuat Oktay.

Turkey’s moves, in particular its claim to Greek waters, have heightened tensions between the two NATO members, who openly clashed 46 years ago in the conflict in Cyprus.

The maritime claims give Turkey pressure points to apply against other countries around the eastern Mediterranean, said Oded Berkowitz, an Israeli security analyst specializing in the Libyan conflict. It can aim to prevent Egypt, Israel and Cyprus from directly exporting natural gas to Europe and to influence the smuggling of migrants.

Turkey has a long-standing interest in Libya, mostly construction and energy projects. He also lobbied for new business opportunities and to recoup the losses suffered since Gaddafi was ousted from power. The Association of Turkish Entrepreneurs estimated that in 2011, just after the country’s popular uprising, Turkish companies had more than $ 18 billion in contracts in Libya. Many of them were lost in the chaos and war that followed.

In June, a Turkish delegation including foreign and finance ministers met with officials in Tripoli and presented $ 2 billion bills owed to Turkish companies, another official said. Tripoli agreed to repay that and $ 1.7 billion in other debts and compensation for machinery and equipment lost during the war, he said. The deal still needs final approval from Sarraj.

Libyan officials said Turkey is building a naval base as part of the port of Misratas and a base at al-Waitya air base in the desert southwest of Tripoli.

A Turkish government official told the PA that the issue of bases was not on the agenda. He spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations.

Meanwhile, Turkish and pro-Sarraj forces are preparing an operation to retake the coastal city of Sirte and the interior air base of Jufra, which the Hifters ally says would prompt it to deploy troops to Libya.

But that’s only part of the bigger picture, said Jalel Harchaoui, a researcher specializing in Libyan affairs at the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations.

Control of this territory is not so much about Libyan oil itself as it is about natural gas under the Mediterranean Sea, he said.

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Associated Press editor Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.