Realpolitik in the Mediterranean: Tobruk Pivots to Ankara

Realpolitik has a stark way of memory-holing past enmities. The Tobruk-based House of Representatives in eastern Libya has voted unanimously to ratify the 2019 maritime agreement with Turkiye. Six years ago, this very assembly denounced the pact and cut diplomatic ties with Ankara. Today, former grudges are quietly shelved in favour of raw pragmatic alignment.

The deal in question was originally signed between Ankara and the UN-recognised Government of National Accord under Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli—the administration General Khalifa Haftar was actively attempting to overthrow. Back in late 2019, Haftar’s Libyan National Army had encircled Tripoli until Turkish military advisers and drones intervened to halt the offensive, fundamentally reshaping the trajectory of the Libyan civil war. Yet, following detailed briefings from specialized parliamentary committees, Tobruk lawmakers saw fit to endorse the maritime boundary delimitation they once bitterly opposed.

When the agreement was first inked, European Union members Greece and Cyprus protested vehemently, denouncing it as a serious breach of international law that ignored the rights of eastern Mediterranean states. Those objections proved largely decorative. Tobruk lawmaker Tarek al-Jeroushi noted that while some foreign nations might be upset by the deal, Libya’s national interest remains paramount in establishing the country as a political, military, and economic partner. The European diplomatic apparatus is left watching from the sidelines as its legal arguments crumble before transactional realities.

Ankara’s strategic pivot toward the east has been building momentum for some time. Military contacts between Turkish forces and Haftar’s army culminated in a July agreement to develop military infrastructure and advanced surveillance systems. There is now active discussion of Ankara establishing a military presence inside territory controlled by Haftar, whose forces previously relied on backing from Egypt and other regional powers. By securing agreements across both Tripoli and Tobruk, Turkiye ensures its geopolitical influence in the Mediterranean remains anchored regardless of future political compromises in Libya.

For Tobruk, embracing Ankara's maritime ambitions is a calculated move to preserve relevance and secure power. For Turkiye, it is a lesson in long-term leverage, transforming a former battlefield opponent into a convenient partner. Principles, as so often in regional diplomacy, are merely temporary placeholders.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com