Libya’s caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dibayba made a secret visit to Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan last month, just days after his election.
A Middle East Eye source said Dbeibah arrived in Ankara on February 11 as part of normal relations between the two countries, but did not explain why the meeting remained secret.
He also said that senior Turkish officials wanted to personally convey their wishes to the newly elected prime minister and state their intention to offer support in any possible field, from military training to infrastructure reconstruction.
Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan’s chief foreign policy adviser, told the Daily Sabah on Monday that Turkey had been in contact with Libya’s new officials and that “some visits” had taken place in the run-up to their election.
“The president (Erdogan) exchanged views (with the Libyan leaders.) He made phone calls to congratulate them and there were some visits. “And that will continue,” he said.
Dibeba’s connections with Turkey are well known. The billionaire had entered into contracts with Turkish companies through state services before the uprising against Muammar Qaddafi in Libya.
Dbeibah also gave his first interview to the state-run Turkish news agency Anadolu last month shortly after his election, saying Turkey was an ally, friend and brotherly state.
It is recalled that in addition to the very friendly relations of the Libyan Prime Minister with Turkey and the worrying acceptance of the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum, there have been accusations of bribery of members of the Political Dialogue Forum for Libya, with testimonies that to vote for Dibbe as Prime Minister.
