Turkey's Spy Chief Seeks Resolution in Libya's Political Deadlock

Turkey's National Intelligence Agency head, Ibrahim Kalin, visited Libya to discuss resolving ongoing conflicts and the oil export shutdown. Meeting Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and other officials, Kalin emphasized Turkey's commitment to Libya's stability and unity amidst political standoffs affecting the country's primary income source: oil exports.

Turkey's spy chief made a significant visit to Libya as proponents of the Tripoli government urgently seek solutions to the political deadlock that has halted the nation's oil exports, compromising four years of relative peace. On Thursday, Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MIT), met with Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and other senior officials. Dbeibah leads Libya's U.N.-recognized Government of National Unity, which Turkey supports.

Kalin conveyed Ankara's hopes for a resolution to Libya's conflicts through national agreement and emphasized Turkey's unwavering commitment to the country's unity and stability. In 2020, Turkey, a NATO member, deployed military personnel to Libya to assist the Tripoli-based government in its fight against the eastern commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army.

Kalin's visit, the highest-level contact between Turkey and Libya since Dbeibah's visit to Ankara in late May, occurs as rival Libyan factions strive to resolve a political impasse following last month's ousting of veteran central bank chief Sadiq al-Kabir. The central bank, which manages the distribution of Libya's oil revenues, has been at the center of the conflict, with eastern factions halting all oil production to protest Kabir's dismissal, thus threatening the fragile stability Libya has maintained since 2017.

(With inputs from agencies.)