TRIPOLI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Libya's eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), aligned with the House of Representatives in Benghazi, said on Sunday that its deputy commander, Saddam Haftar, received the Turkish warship TCG Kinaliada at Benghazi port. The visit marked a sign of warming ties between Ankara and eastern Libyan authorities.
The LNA said the Turkish delegation included Ambassador Guven Begec, Defence Ministry official Ilkay Altindag, and Serkan Karmanlioglu, Türkiye's consul in Benghazi.
The port call follows years of hostility but points to a tentative thaw. In April 2025, Saddam Haftar held rare talks with senior Turkish commanders in Ankara. Media reports suggest the eastern parliament is weighing measures that would allow Türkiye to explore for oil and gas in Libyan waters, though no decision has been announced. Ankara is also discussing reopening its consulate in Benghazi.
Libya has been divided since 2014 between rival administrations in the east and west. A UN-brokered ceasefire in October 2020 halted major fighting, but national elections have repeatedly stalled. The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, operates in parallel with the eastern administration backed by the House of Representatives. Front lines have largely held since the ceasefire.
Türkiye signed maritime and security agreements with Tripoli in 2019 and later sent drones and military advisers, helping repel the LNA's assault on the capital from 2019 to 2020. Relations with the east were hostile at the time, and in 2020, eastern forces intercepted a vessel linked to Türkiye.
The Turkish embassy said TCG Kinaliada visited Tripoli port last week. Turkish and Libyan statements said the ship also conducted a passage exercise off Tripoli. ■