On Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan departed for Algeria, the first stop of his three-nation African tour, APA reports Daily Sabah.
"We are determined to enhance ties with African countries," Erdoğan told reporters in Istanbul before his departure. The president is expected to hold a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune following their bilateral meeting in the capital Algiers. He will also attend a Turkey-Algeria Business Forum.
"I and Mr. Tebboune were together at the Berlin conference [on Libya]. We also held bilateral meetings there," Erdoğan said. "We will also have the opportunity to discuss our bilateral relations in detail in meetings with the president and other officials."
According to a statement by the Turkish Presidency, a "Turkey-Algeria High-Level Cooperation Council will be established through a joint statement set to be signed by the two presidents over the course of the visit."
"We will also discuss current developments in our region, especially in Libya," Erdoğan said.
Commenting on reports of violations of the truce struck in Libya, Erdoğan said: "It is not possible to expect mercy and understanding from someone like [Haftar] on the cease-fire".
On Jan. 12, the parties in Libya announced a cease-fire in response to a joint call by the leaders of Turkey and Russia. But talks for a permanent cease-fire ended without an agreement after putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar left Moscow without signing the deal. Meanwhile, in Berlin last Sunday, Haftar accepted terms to designate members to a U.N.-proposed military commission made up of 10 members - five selected from each side - to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire.
Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys U.N. and international recognition.
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