Turkish Parliament approves 2-year extension of troop mandate in Libya

The Turkish Parliament on Tuesday approved a motion extending the deployment mandate of the Turkish Armed Forces in Libya for an additional two years.

The mandate, which authorizes the continued presence of Turkish troops in the North African country, was adopted during a General Assembly session of the Turkish Parliament.

Türkiye has maintained a military presence in Libya at the request of the country’s internationally recognized government, providing training, advisory support and cooperation aimed at stabilizing the region.

The presidency formally submitted a motion to Parliament on the matter last Sunday.

The motion points to the 2019 request by Libya’s Government of National Unity for support from Türkiye amid attacks to unseat it, which began in April 2019. It says that attacks and internal turmoil ceased in the subsequent period and this prevented Libya from falling into chaos and instability, which would pose a security risk both for Türkiye and the entire region.

“The continued inability to hold elections in Libya has prolonged political uncertainty and governance problems, putting at risk the calm achieved on the ground through great sacrifice and posing a serious obstacle to lasting stability. This situation raises concerns for the security of Libya and the wider region. Given the deep-rooted historical, political and economic ties between Türkiye and Libya, which were further strengthened by the Memorandum of Understanding on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas in the Mediterranean that has been signed and entered into force, the continuation of the cease-fire and political dialogue process in Libya, and the establishment of peace and stability as a result of that process, are of great importance for Türkiye,” the motion said.

The parliamentary motion emphasized that, within this framework, Türkiye continues to provide training and advisory support, contributing to Libya’s security under the Security and Military Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding signed with Libya and now in force, and that Türkiye actively contributes to maintaining stability and calm on the ground.

The motion noted that, at the current stage, it has not yet been possible to finalize a permanent cease-fire and the political dialogue process in Libya, nor to unify all institutions, particularly military and security bodies.