The Emirati leader’s one-day working visit to Istanbul on Saturday saw the two discussing bilateral ties, watching a soccer game together and walking hand-in-hand after dining at an Istanbul restaurant. The encounter is likely a soccer diplomacy push by Ankara to further advance the detente between Dbeibah’s government and Abu Dhabi, which has backed the Tripoli-based government’s rival in the conflict. Ankara and Abu Dhabi are backing rival sides in the Libyan civil war. Abu Dhabi ratified the agreement on May 31 after Erdogan’s reelection. Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have now embraced the country’s ruler Bashar al-Assad, while Ankara hasn’t.

Source: Libya Today June 12, 2023 22:18 UTC