Media: Libya’s Khalifa Haftar expected to visit Türkiye amid warming ties PHOTO

The de-facto ruler of eastern Libya’s Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), Khalifa Haftar, is planning a visit to Türkiye later this month, according to multiple diplomatic and regional sources familiar with the matter.

The visit, which is being arranged following months of quiet diplomacy, would mark the first by Haftar to Türkiye. The plans follow a rare visit by Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin to Benghazi last week, the first senior engagement between the two sides.

Three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to Middle East Eye, confirmed that Kalin extended a formal invitation to Haftar during the visit. Haftar has reportedly agreed to travel to Türkiye later in September, although the timing remains flexible due to volatile conditions on the ground in Libya.

Haftar, whose forces control Benghazi and much of eastern Libya, led a failed military offensive against the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli in 2019. The GNA, with strong backing from Türkiye—including special forces, Syrian fighters, warships, and air support—repelled the assault. The frontlines later stabilised around the strategic city of Sirte, which remains under Haftar’s control.

Türkiye is now lobbying the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, aligned with Haftar, to ratify the 2019 maritime delimitation agreement. However, both Egypt and Greece—who signed a rival maritime deal in 2020—have pressed Haftar not to move forward. 

Saddam Haftar, recently appointed deputy commander of the LAAF and widely seen as his father’s political heir, has been instrumental in broadening the Haftar camp’s foreign partnerships. He has met with Turkish, Qatari, and other regional officials over the past year. 

According to a Libyan source close to the talks, Saddam is “central to the current diplomatic pivot,” aimed at expanding the Haftar family's alliances beyond traditional backers such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently indicated that he too may visit eastern Libya in the near future, though he noted that such a trip would depend on “positive steps” taken by the authorities in Benghazi. He did not elaborate on what those steps might include.

By Sabina Mammadli