Erdogan visits Algeria to discuss Libya, boost trade links

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday visited Algeria for talks on the conflict in neighbouring Libya and plans to boost trade links.

Erdogan, accompanied by a high-level business delegation, was greeted at Algiers airport by his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the national news agency APS reported.

“We are going to organise a business conference in Algeria,” Erdogan, whose country is the largest investor in the North African state, told reporters on his departure from Istanbul.

“We are also going to discuss the latest developments in our region, especially Libya,” he said before setting out on the first leg of an African tour.

Turkey has sent military aid to Libya’s UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), whose fighters have been at war since last April with forces loyal to military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Algiers, for its part, has taken on a role as mediator and last week hosted a meeting of Libya’s neighbours that rejected “any foreign interference” and called for a negotiated settlement.