Russia and Turkey Call for Libya Ceasefire as Proxies Face Off

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey and Russia called for a ceasefire in Libya where they’re backing opposite sides in an increasingly deadly proxy war between regional powers.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on Wednesday, when they called for a truce from midnight on Jan. 12. In a further sign of his regional ambitions, Erdogan also said his country could play a role mediating between Iran and the U.S. as their confrontation convulsed the Middle East.

“We are confident that the Libyans can independently decide on the future of their homeland in the framework of a nationwide dialog taking into account the interests of all its citizens without exception,” the two presidents said in a joint statement.

OPEC member Libya has fragmented since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted Muammar Qaddafi, with the country now effectively divided between competing administrations in Tripoli and the east. On Tuesday, eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar took the coastal city of Sirte -- a symbolic and strategic gain in his 10-month long battle to take the capital.

Haftar has been aided by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russian mercenaries while the internationally recognized government in Tripoli is getting help from Turkey.

All parties should stop hostilities and “immediately come together around a negotiating table” to restore peace and prosperity for Libyans, Putin and Erdogan said.

A halt in fighting could breath some life into a conference in Berlin aimed at brokering a peace accord and the two presidents “expressed their readiness to contribute to the success of the Berlin process,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Istanbul, speaking with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. A date has yet to be set for the conference.

The foreign and defense ministers of Russia and Turkey have been instructed to continue contacts on the issue in the coming days, Lavrov said.

Turkey and Russia have developed closer defense and trade ties in recent months especially Turkey’s purchase of a Russian S-400 air-defense system. Yet the Libyan conflict carries the risk of a direct confrontation between the countries’ forces that Erdogan is keen to avoid.

--With assistance from Firat Kozok.

To contact the reporters on this story: Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.net;Cagan Koc in Istanbul at ckoc2@bloomberg.net;Olga Tanas in Moscow at otanas@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, ;Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Caroline Alexander, Mark Williams

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