CIGA PUBLICATIONS / GEOPOLITICAL COMPASS

Turkey-Libya Relations: Economic and Strategic Imperatives

West & Central Asia

Publication Dossier

GEOPOLITICAL COMPASS
Author(s)
Dr. Tankut Öztaş, Ferhat Polat
Publishers
TRT World Research Center
Date / Place
December 27, 2019, Istanbul Turkey.
Type of Literature
Report
Word Count / Number of Pages
35
Keywords
Turkey, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Conflict, Peace

The Brief

Turkey’s proactive actions in Syria followed by Libya, although not very effective and with minimally recognized results, at least at a global level, have increased its political influence in the region, gaining sometimes, and other times paying the price. Nonetheless, Turkey has  increasingly been recognized as an important regional player at different fronts, especially the political front. One of the latest Turkish regional relationships was that of Libya. The Turkish Libya relationship is essentially based on economics, and is a strategic relationship that has attracted regional attention because it may disrupt the interests of countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Israel, Cyprus, Egypt, and Greece are the main concerned countries; Italy and North African countries are also monitoring such developments. “This report discusses the trajectory of Turkey-Libya relations and analyses the multilayered economic, political and security dynamics underpinning these relations over the past decades. The report also explores the complexities surrounding the current conflict in Libya, the gradual evolution of Turkey's strategic posture towards Libya, and some of the primary causes behind such a shift.” The report also shows Turkey's trade and business partners and the importance of Libya, which also discusses the countries' quest for peace. This timely report is relevant more than ever, with detailed information worth reviewing to better inform regional policies.