The new head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi held talks in Istanbul on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During the talks, Al-Menfi issued a formal request to Erdogan, to withdraw Syrian mercenaries and Turkish military experts from Tripoli within ten days.
Turkish presidency sources said the discussions, which were attended by president spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, tackled means to develop Libyan-Turkish relations on all levels.
Menfi was invited to Turkey by Erdogan. It is his first to the country since assuming his position at the helm of the Presidential Council, which will run the country until elections are held in December.
Erdogan expressed his support for the new Government of National Unity (GNU) as it seeks to achieve stability in Libya.
Turkey has yielded to international pressure and started to pull out this week Syrian mercenaries it had brought to Libya to prop up the GNA during its battle against the Libyan National Army in 2019. Ankara has so far withdrawn some 120 Syrians and more will follow.
Prior to traveling to Istanbul, Menfi had visited Cairo on Thursday where he held talks with President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who underscored Egypt’s complete support to the new interim Libyan authority.
Follow the latest news on Google News
