ISTANBUL — Turkish corvette Kınalıada made a landmark visit to Libya with port calls in both Tripoli and Benghazi this month, the first time a Turkish Navy warship has visited the country’s rival power centers in a single deployment.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Defence, Kınalıada visited Tripoli port on August 17–18, 2025, where the crew held meetings with the senior Libyan defense officials.

The ministry noted that the visit was intended to conduct naval training missions with the Libyan Navy. Both sides discussed training matters and explored expanding military cooperation into other areas such as naval, air, and air defense. Following the visit, Kınalıada carried out joint drills at sea with the Libyan Navy’s fast attack craft Shafak.

Kınalıada’s next stop was Benghazi on Aug. 20–21, 2025. There, Turkish and Libyan military delegations met, with the Turkish Ministry of National Defence represented by a team led by Maj. Gen. İlkay Altındağ.

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The delegation paid a visit to Maj. Gen. Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA). During the talks, the parties discussed developing military and naval cooperation, as well as exchanging technical and technological expertise, under the banner of “One Libya, One Army.”

Haftar paid a return visit to Kınalıada in Benghazi. According to a statement from his office, the visit underscored “the deep historical relations between the Libyan and Turkish naval forces, and the mutual commitment to developing them in a way that serves regional security and stability.”

Serhat Güvenç, an international relations professor at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, said the Benghazi port call signaled reconciliation between Turkey and Khalifa Haftar’s camp, which had long been in competition with the Government of National Accord (GNA) previously supported by Ankara.

The visit marked the first time a Turkish naval vessel had entered a port under Haftar’s control, where it engaged in joint passage exercises — a symbolic gesture that Turkey is no longer tied to one faction but open to relations with all of Libya.

Güvenç pointed to reports that the Benghazi-based parliament, controlled by Haftar, may ratify the Memorandum of Understanding on maritime boundaries between Turkey and Libya, which was originally signed between Ankara and the GNA. Such a move would represent a direct extension of this reconciliation, institutionalizing cooperation on one of the most sensitive strategic issues between the two countries.

The visits to Tripoli and Benghazi mark the culmination of long-running diplomatic efforts. During Libya’s civil war, Turkey backed the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, clashing with Haftar’s LNA. Turkish intervention in 2020 — through advisers, equipment, and drone support — enabled the GNA to repel Haftar’s advance and recapture key areas, including al-Watiya airbase.

Turkey later sought to bridge Libya’s divide, beginning with its participation in the 5+5 Joint Military Commission meetings in December 2021, followed by a second round in April 2024, and subsequent technical delegation visits that laid the groundwork for closer dialogue. Building on this process, Lt. Gen. Saddam Khalifa Haftar, commander of the LNA Ground Forces, visited Ankara at the invitation of the Turkish Land Forces commander, marking a pivotal step toward military dialogue. Haftar returned to Turkey in July during the IDEF 2025 defense exhibition, where he met with Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.

Over time, Turkey may position itself as a supplier of defense equipment for the unified Libya. With Libya likely to require rearmament and restructuring of its armed forces if a unified government takes hold, the visit also pitched the TCG Kınalıada vessel as a showcase for Turkey’s Ada-class corvettes.