Turkey looks to pull ahead of EastMed rivals in Libya
Can Greece use its position in the European Union to tempt Libya away from Ankara’s fold?
A series of state visits by leaders of Libya’s new National Unity Government to Athens and Ankara last week laid bare the difficulty Greece faces in swaying the North African country away from its Mediterranean rival Turkey.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Libyan counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took credit for rescuing Libya’s UN-backed government, claiming that help “came from Turkey alone.”
“Henceforth, our priority is to extend the authority and sovereignty of the Government of National Unity to the entire country,” he added.
The National Unity Government was sworn in on March 15 and tasked with preparing the country for elections in December. It replaced the previous UN-recognized Government of National Accord, which fought a civil war with the forces of Gen. Khalifa Hifter, who received backing from Russia, Egypt, the UAE and France.
