Turkish Naval Forces sets up permanent air and naval bases in Libya.
The cooperation between Turkey and Libya is deepening. It is stated that in this context, the runway, the hangar and the repaired Watiya Military Air Base have been allocated to be used by Turkey. The armed UAVs and air defense systems, which were quiet successful in the operation against Haftar, will be deployed on the base.
On August 17 2020, Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Güler met with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Halid bin Mohammed al-Atiyye and Libyan Deputy Defense Minister Saladin en-Nemrush during the visit to Libya.
It was stated that a number of military cooperation agreements were signed during the meetings. In this context, as reported by Al Arabiya; a military cooperation agreement was signed on behalf of Turkey, Qatar and Libya governments. Qatar will finance military training centers which will be established within the scope of the agreement. A tripartite coordination center will be established in Misrata, Libya. In addition to that, as part of the agreement, a Turkish naval base will be established in Misrata. An official statement regarding the naval base, which has been voiced previously also, has been made public neither by the Republic of Turkey nor by the other interlocutors.
Turkey, Qatar sign military cooperation deal with Libyan gov’t, per Al Arabiya
• Doha to fund military training centers
• A trilateral coordination center to be established in Misrata
• Turkish naval base to be set up in Misrata (previously reported still not confirmed)— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) August 18, 2020
Naval Base in Misrata to Turkish Armed Forces
It is stated that Misrata Port will be available to the Turkish Armed Forces along with Al-Watiye Air Base. In the images released on social media on August 13, 2020, Gabya Class frigate, which is considered to belong to the Turkish Navy off Misrata, can be seen. Along with the Gabya class frigate, the Sikorsky S-70B-28 Seahawk helicopter is also seen in the images. Images were interpreted that the Republic of Turkey took action for the naval base which will be founded in Misrata and references were made in the same direction by regional sources.
According to the regional sources, military cooperation between Ankara and Tripoli is moving to the next level. Al-Watiya Air Base which has been repaired, has been given to the use of Turkey. It is reported that the Turkish national UAV / Armed UAV systems and air defense systems will be deployed at the Al-Watiya Base, which was very successful in the Libya operation. With Al-Watiya, which will be fortified with aircraft, another step will be taken in the Mediterranean port city of Misrata.
Turkey, as quoted by the Yeni Şafak, has achieved great success in the field, reflecting the Turkish Armed Forces’ operational concepts in the north of Syria to the Libyan field. In addition to this, the Turkish army used the navy along with the land and air elements in the operations conducted in the region at the center of the Eastern Mediterranean conflict, unlike Syria. Within the scope of the joint sea-air-land operation concept implemented in Libya, the TAF had a naval task force off Libya.
Combat ships prevented the reconnaissance-surveillance ships while the auxiliary ships prevented the threats from the sea. The logistics line was operated uninterruptedly, and land elements were contributed with radar systems and support weapons. Considering the escalation in the provocation of Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean, the strategic importance of the naval forces in the Libya field necessitates the continuation of the Turkish navy in the region. In this direction, the Misrata Port is planned to be converted to a naval base for permanent deployment. Also, Turkey will own the largest share in extracting oil from sea fields in Libya. The presence of Turkish ships seems essential for the safety of drilling activities in the region.
