Turkey sees HoR Speaker as viable replacement for Haftar in Libya political negotiations, Isler tells MEE

“Haftar is a failed dictator and we have never recognised him as a legitimate actor. He is also about to lose the Russian support. He won’t take a place in the future of Libya,” said Emrullah Isler in an elusive interview with Middle East Eye.

He added that political negotiations should be conducted by the politicians, saying Aquila Saleh Issa, as a politician, specifically must contribute to this process.

Isler also told MME that the Tobruk parliament was a legitimate branch of the Libyan state under the UN-recognised political deal signed in 2015, and noted that Saleh, whom he met previously in 2017, had been elected as its speaker.

“We opened our doors to everybody. I have personally visited eastern Libya three times over the years and always worked for a political solution,” Isler told MEE, adding that he believed Aquila Saleh should carry out this role in a positive manner.