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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday visited Algeria for talks on the conflict in neighbouring Libya and plans to boost trade links. His visit comes as fighting resumed on the weekend at the frontline south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Erdogan, accompanied by a high-level business delegation, was greeted at Algiers airport by his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the national news agency APS reported.
“We are going to organise a business conference in Algeria,” Erdogan, whose country is the largest investor in the North African state, told reporters on his departure from Istanbul.
“We are also going to discuss the latest developments in our region, especially Libya,” he said before setting out on the first leg of an African tour.
The visit comes after Erdogan accused Eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar of violating the truce between his troops and forces loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
Fighting has abated in the past weeks but picked up at the weekend at the frontline in southern Tripoli, where artillery fire could be heard, a Reuters reporter said. More than 150,000 people have been displaced by the months of fighting.
Libya conflict and ‘foreign interference’
Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) faction aims to capture the capital, Tripoli, through the backing of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russian mercenaries and African troops.
Turkey sent military advisers and trainers to help the GNA fend off Haftar’s assault on Tripoli.
Fighting has abated in the past weeks but picked up at the weekend at the frontline in southern Tripoli, where artillery fire could be heard, a Reuters reporter said. More than 150,000 people have been displaced by the months of fighting.
Algiers, for its part, has taken on a role as mediator and last week hosted a meeting of Libya’s neighbours that rejected “any foreign interference” and called for a negotiated settlement.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
Source: France 24