Turkey’s ambassador: Our consulate in Benghazi will resume its work

Turkish Ambassador to Libya Kenan Yilmaz confirmed that the closed Consulate General in Benghazi will return to provide its services if the region’s conditions become favorable for this step.

This came in a statement he made on the sidelines of his participation in the 13th Conference of Turkish Ambassadors held in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Yilmaz explained that there are important opportunities to develop relations between Turkey and Libya in all fields, and that the two sides are continuing their efforts to develop bilateral relations.

He continued, “Our efforts continue to improve our relations with Libya in all aspects. Our main desire is to overcome this unstable period that Libya is going through as soon as possible. That is why we recommend removing political differences, achieving reconciliation and holding elections.”

He pointed to the possibility of Ankara developing its relations with Tripoli in all fields such as trade, economy, investment, culture, health and security, in cooperation with a strong government in power in Libya.

He stressed the importance of the visit paid by the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Aqila Saleh, to Ankara in early August, and his meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mustafa Şentop and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Yilmaz indicated that important steps have been taken to improve relations between the parliaments of the two countries, indicating that a visit is currently being planned for members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group headed by Representative Ahmed Yildiz to the Libyan city of Benghazi.

He added that he met Aqila Saleh last January and discussed with him ways to complete the unfinished Turkish projects in the eastern part of Libya.

He expressed his hope that the coming days will witness further development in the existing bilateral relations between Turkey and Libya.

Yilmaz touched on the trade between the two sides, noting that Turkey’s exports to Libya last year amounted to about 3 billion dollars, and the bilateral trade volume was 4.5 billion dollars.

And he added, “Turkish companies in Libya are known as reliable companies, and we, in turn, continue to encourage these companies to come and work there.”