HERE to watch the talk
Jalel Harchaoui, a political scientist focused on Libya and a contributor at the Royal United Services Institute, joins Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss shifts in Turkey’s Libya policy and how they fit into broader US and NATO objectives for stability in the divided nation.
The talk outlines how, in 2019, Ankara initially backed the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity in Western Libya and, since 2024, has been expanding its diplomatic outreach and drone sales to the Benghazi-based Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in Eastern Libya.
Topics covered include Turkey’s hosting of joint military exercises between Libya’s rival forces as well as the spillover effects of Turkey’s Libya policy for regional conflicts and actors.
They also discuss Turkish parliament’s planned legislation to claim waters near the Greek Island of Crete by formalizing a maritime boundary agreement with Libya.