Turkish delegation taking part in the signature of the agreement with the National Unity Government

The Libyan Presidential Council confirmed on Tuesday that the memorandum of understanding signed with Turkey on Monday by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh's National Unity Government on energy exploration, "must be approved by the Libyan legislative councils."

A high-level Turkish delegation arrived in Libya on Monday to discuss ways to hold elections there, bilateral relations, and issues of cooperation within the framework of the security and military cooperation agreement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu pointed out that "the memorandum of understanding signed with Libya in the field of oil and gas will include exploration on land and at sea."

"Cooperation between countries is regulated by international charters, norms, and local laws, all of which aim at the interests of the peoples first, and what governments strive to do by signing agreements and memoranda of understanding aims to enhance cooperation. For the agreements to enter into force, they require being adopted (ratified) by legislative councils,” said the spokesperson for the Libyan Presidential Council, Najwa Wahiba, in a statement.

"Concluding agreements requires consultation with the Presidential Council, which emphasizes the importance of cooperation with all brotherly and friendly countries to serve the Libyan people and the future of their country," Wahiba added.

Following the signature of the memorandum of understanding, the Speaker of Libya's House of Representatives Aguila Saleh affirmed on Monday his rejection of any agreement or memorandum of understanding signed by the Government of National Unity headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

During the visit, the Turkish delegation discussed ways to hold elections in Libya as soon as possible, the necessary legal infrastructure in this framework, bilateral relations, and issues of cooperation within the framework of the security and military cooperation agreement signed between Ankara and Tripoli in 2019.

Libya has been suffering from an escalating political crisis with a dispute between two governments. The first was headed by Fathi Bashagha, who was granted confidence by the Libyan House of Representatives, held in Tobruk, the far east of the country last March.

The second is the Libyan National Unity Government, which stems from political agreements sponsored by the United Nations, more than two years ago, headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, who refuses to hand over power except through presidential and parliamentary elections.

On the 24th of last September, US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland said that the Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, and appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha who are competing for power, cannot run the country, stressing that "the need to agree on a legitimate government comes through elections."