Turkish interior minister holds migration talks in Libya visit

TRIPOLI

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya paid a rare visit to Libya on Nov. 25, holding talks with senior officials on border security and irregular migration.

During the trip, the Turkish minister met with the Tripoli-based government’s Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, as well as his interior minister, Imad Trabelsi.

“We discussed strengthening ongoing cooperation and the exchange of expertise in security and law-enforcement training, as well as our best practices in managing irregular migration,” Yerlikaya said in a social media post.

Trabelsi stated that the Libyan Interior Ministry’s security plan adopts a phased approach — beginning with securing the borders, followed by the desert and urban areas and finally the coastline. He added that Libya is implementing a voluntary return program for migrants and is pursuing organized crime networks involved in human trafficking.

According to a statement from the Libyan Interior Ministry, the Turkish minister praised Libya’s efforts and shared Türkiye’s experience and recent positive results in combating irregular migration.

The ministry noted that the meeting was held within the framework of ongoing efforts to enhance stability and create effective avenues of cooperation.

Irregular migration also topped the agenda in a separate meeting between Dbeibah and the United Kingdom’s newly appointed ambassador to Libya, Martin Reynolds. Libya remains the main transit hub for migrants from Africa and the Middle East seeking to reach Europe.

The talks came just days after Saddam Haftar — the son of Khalifa Haftar, the leader of eastern Libya’s Benghazi-based administration — met in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.