Türkiye and Libya move energy cooperation offshore as strategic alignment deepens
Bosphorus News Energy Desk
Türkiye and Libya have signalled a renewed push to deepen energy cooperation, with offshore oil and gas projects returning to the centre of the bilateral agenda after years of delay and uncertainty.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar chaired the 22nd Term Türkiye–Libya Joint Economic Commission meeting in Tripoli, where officials from both sides focused on advancing concrete projects in the energy sector. Discussions centred on upstream cooperation, particularly offshore exploration and development, alongside technical collaboration and infrastructure.
Bayraktar also held talks with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, with Turkish officials framing the engagement as a move from political coordination toward project-based cooperation. The emphasis was placed on implementation rather than declarations.
Libya’s energy leadership has openly pointed to Türkiye’s potential role in offshore exploration. Libya’s oil minister said Turkish companies could play a “key role” in developing offshore fields, citing Türkiye’s operational experience in open-sea environments. The remarks come as Libya prepares to reopen its hydrocarbons sector to foreign investment after a pause of more than a decade.
Tripoli has announced plans to tender oil and natural gas blocks, including offshore areas in the Mediterranean, as part of a broader effort to revive production and attract international partners. This process is unfolding alongside a USD 20 billion offshore gas investment programme involving major international energy companies, signalling Libya’s intent to re-establish itself as an active Mediterranean supplier.
The renewed Türkiye–Libya energy push carries a strategic dimension tied to the maritime framework established by the 2019 memorandum on maritime jurisdiction. Offshore activity in Libyan waters intersects directly with that framework, making energy cooperation both a commercial track and a means of sustaining Türkiye’s maritime posture in the central Mediterranean.
As regional gas routes and partnerships consolidate elsewhere, progress on offshore projects with Libya would give Türkiye a rare channel to translate maritime positioning into operational presence. For Tripoli, Turkish participation offers a partner capable of moving projects forward under difficult political and security conditions, while broadening its pool of external energy actors.