Ankara’s new military deals with Tripoli show how it uses Libya’s internal rifts to make strategic gains.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the head of the interim government in Tripoli, signed two military deals in Istanbul on Oct. 25. Only three days before, Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the eastern-based parliament, and Khaled al-Mishri, the head of the Tripoli-based High Council of State, had agreed to take steps to unify Libya’s two rival governments and resume dialogue on holding elections.

Dbeibah rejected the agreement as a “parallel path,” fanning the tensions. In a fresh bid at mediation, Turkey invited Dbeibah and Fathi Bashagha – the parliament-appointed prime minister – to Istanbul. Turkish officials were reportedly mulling formulas such as Bashagha becoming Dbeibah’s deputy or the two serving as premiers on a rotating basis. But before any word on the outcome of the meetings, news broke of Akar and Dbeibah inking military deals after touring a defense industry fair.

One of the deals is a follow-up to the military cooperation accord that Ankara signed in 2019 with Tripoli, which at the time was facing an assault by the eastern forces of Khalifa Hifter. The second one aims to bolster Libya’s defense capabilities. According to Dbeibah’s spokesman, the two sides have agreed to cooperate on military equipment, border security, organized crime and terrorism, and creating a military cooperation committee. More specifically, the deal involves training programs for military aircraft and helicopter pilots.