Türkiye, Libya sign agreements on hydrocarbon, gas exploration

Türkiye and Libya have signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) on hydrocarbon and gas exploration.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced the signing of the MOUs at a joint press conference with Libyan counterpart Najla El Mangoush in Tripoli on Monday.

Noting that Türkiye has always stood beside Libya and its people in times of need, Cavusoglu said his country will continue to support Libya without any hesitation. 

Asked about the possible reaction from Greece and France after the deals, Cavusoglu said third countries have no right to interfere with agreements signed between two sovereign states.

"The agreements signed today and before, are agreements between two sovereign states, Türkiye and Libya, with a win-win understanding. Therefore, third countries do not have the right to interfere with the agreements signed by the two sovereign countries. It doesn't matter what they think," Cavusoglu said.

On elections in Libya, the top Turkish diplomat said this should be a process decided by Libyans, calling for the drawing up of a roadmap in this regard.

"Elections must be held transparently, fairly and democratically. Election results must be embraced by all parties in the country. This is highly important not only for national unity but also for political stability, and Türkiye places great importance on this," he added.

Earlier on Monday, Cavusoglu, along with a high-level delegation including Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, Trade Minister Mehmet Mus, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, and Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin arrived in the North African country's capital for talks on bilateral ties and regional issues. 

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Cooperation on energy

For her part, El Mangoush said that talks tackled a number of important topics between the two countries, “especially cooperation in the fields of energy, security training, communications, the media, and diplomacy.”

She underlined that such agreements reflect “the deep historical mutual relations between the two friendly countries.”

She stressed the importance of the new agreement in light of the Ukraine crisis and its repercussions for the world.

El Mangoush said she also spoke with her Turkish counterpart about the Libyan government’s political view on “moving forward to pave the way for political stability” to reach a clear roadmap with determined obligations of Libyan sides to hold elections as well as ensuring international support for the roadmap.

“The task of achieving elections in Libya is the responsibility of all, which requires the concerted efforts of the legislative and executive bodies far from any political polarization and avoiding any scenarios that do not meet the aspirations of the Libyan people,” she added. 

READ MORE:Türkiye, Libya to discuss bilateral, regional issues in high-level visit

Media cooperation

As part of an official visit to the Libyan capital Tripoli, Türkiye's Communications Directorate on Monday signed an agreement with Libya's communication and political affairs minister.

Fahrettin Altun and Walid Al Lafi signed a memorandum of understanding to further strengthen cooperation in the field of media and communication, according to a statement by the Communications Directorate.

The two countries will make efforts to establish a Joint Media Platform, the statement said, noting that Türkiye and Libya will act jointly to fight fake news and disinformation.

"In addition to the training and exchange programs to be held between the two countries in the field of media and communication, cooperation between official news agencies is encouraged and mutual exchange of visual, audio and electronic content is anticipated," the statement added.