Turkey will keep supporting Libya's GNA despite Sarraj plan to quit

ANKARA: Turkey's agreements and cooperation with Libya's internationally recognised government will continue despite Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's desire to quit, Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin was quoted as saying on Monday.

In June, Turkish military support helped Sarraj's Government of National Accord (GNA) repel an assault on Tripoli by Khalifa Haftar's eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which is supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey was upset by Sarraj's announcement that he planned to quit, but Kalin said Turkish support for the GNA and their bilateral agreements, which include a security pact signed last year, would continue.

Turkish officials may travel to Tripoli "in the coming days" to discuss developments, he added.

"These accords will not be impacted by this political period because these are decisions made by the government, not by any individual," Kalin told Demiroren News Agency.

The GNA declared a ceasefire last month and called for the lifting of a months-long blockade on oil output. The leader of a rival parliament in eastern Libya also appealed for a halt to hostilities, offering hope for a de-escalation of the conflict across Libya since a 2011 uprising.

Haftar dismissed the calls, but said on Friday he would lift for one month his blockade on oil outputs and that he had agreed with the GNA on "fair distribution" of energy revenue.