President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a direct phone conversation with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Wednesdayy, offering Türkiye’s official condolences following the plane crash that claimed the lives of Libya’s top military leadership.

The call, announced by the Turkish Presidency’s Head of Communications, Burhanettin Duran, marks the highest-level contact between the two nations since the Falcon 50 business jet crashed near Ankara on December 23rd.

During the conversation, “President Erdoğan expressed his condolences and deep sorrow over the loss of lives due to the crash of the aircraft carrying Libya's Chief of General Staff, General Mohammed al-Haddad, and his entourage,” Duran stated.

The presidential phone call underscores the gravity with which Türkiye views the incident, reinforcing earlier messages of sympathy from Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Defence Minister Yaşar Güler. It emphasizes the strategic and brotherly ties between Ankara and the UN-recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli.

The diplomatic gesture comes at a critical juncture. The Libyan delegation, led by General al-Haddad, had just concluded high-level talks in Ankara on military cooperation, a cornerstone of the two nations' bilateral relationship. The crash has created a significant vacuum in Libya’s security leadership.

President Erdoğan’s personal outreach to Prime Minister Dbeibeh also occurs as the investigation into the crash enters a decisive phase. Turkish authorities have successfully recovered the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders, and examination by technical teams is underway. A 22-member Libyan delegation, including victim relatives and officials, is now in Ankara to coordinate with Turkish investigators.

The tragedy has elicited a rare moment of unified mourning across Libya’s political divide. Prime Minister Dbeibah’s government declared three days of national mourning, a move mirrored by expressions of grief from eastern Libyan factions. President Erdoğan’s call therefore resonates not just with the Tripoli government but with a broad spectrum of the Libyan people grieving the loss of senior national figures.

As both nations navigate the aftermath, this high-level communication reaffirms Türkiye’s commitment to supporting Libya during a period of profound loss and ensures continued close coordination on the investigation’s progress and its implications for future bilateral relations. (ILKHA)