ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey and Libya’s internationally recognised government are discussing possible Turkish use of two military bases in the North African country, a Turkish source said on Monday, teeing up a lasting Turkish presence in the south Mediterranean.
No final decisions have been made over possible Turkish military use of the Misrata naval base and the al-Watiya air base, which was recently recaptured by the Turkey-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).
The GNA has driven back Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) – backed by Russia, France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates – in recent weeks and recaptured several positions. Last week, Turkey said it could expand its cooperation in Libya with new energy and construction deals once the conflict ends.
“Turkey using al-Watiya … is on the agenda,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It could also be possible for the Misrata naval base to be used by Turkey.”
(Reporting by Orhan Coskun and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Nick Macfie)
