Why it matters: The visit comes as Russian-backed Syrian forces gained ground in Idlib as a result of a weekslong offensive. Turkey and Russia reportedly deploy private military contractors to support, respectively, the Fayez al-Sarraj government and eastern strongman Khalifa Hifter. As for Libya, Moscow said its proposals revolve around a prompt cease-fire and the resumption of intra-Libyan peace talks. The Russian and Turkish leaders will launch the TurkStream natural gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey and discuss Syria, the delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system and the situation in Libya. Know more: Read Max Suchkov’s explanation of Russia’s “multilayered pie” policy on Libya and Cengiz Candar’s take on how Turkey’s Libya gambit raises stakes in the eastern Mediterranean.

Source: Libya Today December 23, 2019 21:45 UTC