Tripoli

As Libya emerges from years of turmoil and conflict since the 2011 death of Muammar Gaddafi, Turkey prioritizes protecting the sovereignty and unity of independent Libya, the county's foreign minister said on May 3.

At least 123 irregular migrants were recently rescued off the coast of Libya's capital Tripoli by the joint efforts of the Turkish military and Libyan Coast Guard, military sources said on May 2. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 12 said Turkey and Libya's new unity government were committed to the maritime demarcation agreement in the eastern Mediterranean.

The prime ministers of Italy and Greece on April 6 joined a growing number of foreign leaders visiting Libya as it seeks to emerge from a decade of post-revolution chaos under a U.N.-sponsored peace process.

Turkey hopes Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) will be swiftly formed through the confidence vote session to take place on March 8, urging the historic opportunity should not be wasted for the sake of some countries' calculations and ambitions in Libya.

Libya's democratic steps based on dialogue and national consensus in the political process offered an important window of opportunity for permanent peace in the country, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said on March 6.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on March 2 met with Jan Kubis, the special U.N. envoy for Libya, in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter that they discussed recent developments in the intra-Libyan political process and the formation of a new interim government.

"Our support to ensure stability in brotherly Libya will continue," he added.

Turkey's top diplomat held a series of telephone calls on Feb. 8 with counterparts from three countries. 

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu called his Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, according to Turkish sources.

He separately spoke with Tunisia's Othman Jerandi in a call that focused on recent development in Libya.

An earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale hit the area of Tripoli, in the Peloponnese, at 9.20 a.m. on Monday, the Athens Geodynamic Institute reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries

The quake's epicenter was located 14 kilometers southwest of the village of Dimitsana at a depth of five kilometers.

Greece on Saturday announced plans to reopen its embassy in Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

The announcement by the Greek Foreign Ministry came a day after UN sponsored talks produced a new interim government for Libya aimed at resolving a decade of chaos, division and violence by holding national elections later this year.