The Turkish foreign minister will visit the capital of Libya, Tripoli, tomorrow, Wednesday Hakan Fidanas he said from the capital of Malta, Valletta.

The Turkish Foreign Minister visited Malta today and in the context of a joint press conference with his Maltese counterpart Ian Borg, he also mentioned Libya, as the two ministers exchanged views on the issue.

“As you know, her relations Turkey with the eastern side (S.S. of Libya) are gradually progressing. Our cooperation with the actors there continues. We have decided to reopen the consulate general in Benghazi. This will happen soon. Our businesses started working there again,” Hakan Fidan said, among other things, and announced that tomorrow he will leave Malta for Libya.

“When I get there I will meet with the prime minister of the Government of National Unity and a delegation of the Supreme Council of State and the president of the state in Tripoli. In the context of these meetings, I will repeat the constructive political attitude that Turkey has been showing in recent years anyway. We will convey our support,” Hakan Fidan said.

Enumerating Ankara’s priorities in Libya he said: “We do not want any conflict in Libya to restart between East and West or even involving the South. We want Libya to solve its problems through dialogue. We do not want to see the current division between East and West become permanent. We believe that this division must be resolved within a certain period of time and through dialogue, in a peaceful manner and in a process that all parties will agree to. Our work in this direction continues.”

He also stressed that Turkey continues its efforts to play a constructive role in the Libyan issue together with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other regional friends of hers.

Asked about the announced, but without a definitive date, visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Ankara, the Turkish Foreign Minister said:

“Mr. Putin will visit Turkey in the near future. This is another manifestation of the ongoing regular dialogue and talks between Turkey and Russia. As you know, there is cooperation between Turkey and Russia in many areas, especially in the energy sector, while on the other hand, there should be consultations on matters concerning areas of competence. We must constantly review our positions primarily on Syria, but also on the Caucasus and the Middle East — both to find solutions to the problems and to prevent the spread of more serious conflicts. In this regard, we attach great importance to continuing our regular dialogue with Russia. […] Thus, Mr. Putin will visit Turkey. Of course, during this visit, both bilateral relations and regional issues, including Ukraine, will be discussed.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister, referring to Euro-Turkish relations, divided them into two axes: firstly, Turkey’s discussions with the EU for membership and secondly, the areas of cooperation outside of membership.

“The issue of accession at the moment, as I have mentioned above, is not an issue that depends on us, it is an issue for the European Union to decide on,” he stressed.

“Turkey’s position here is clear, but whether the European Union whether she wants to include Turkey in it or not is a matter for her to decide. In any case, we, when we look at European politics, when we look at the arguments and political concepts developed by the parties there, we find that the goal of integration (including the EU) with other cultures and cultures is gradually moving away. Possibly in the future they will retreat to this, however the current political language is a language of distancing and not an inclusive one, a language of convergence,” Hakan Fidan commented.

“In any case, we as Turkey want to continue our relations with the institutions of the European Union. In particular, we will continue our efforts to update the Customs Union and complete the work on the facilitation and liberalization of entry visas,” the Turkish Foreign Minister concluded.