By Libya Herald reporters.
Tripoli, 3 June 2016:
There are unconfirmed reports that Turkey has agreed to issue visas to Libyan upon arrival . . .[restrict]in Turkey, abandoning the advance visa application programme put in place last August
During his Tripoli visit on Monday to prime minister designate-Faiez Serraj, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu undertook to review the visa regime, which has been widely criticised as cumbersome and bureaucratic. He mentioned online applications and easier visa extensions but gave no indication that visas might become available when Libyan citizens arrived in Turkey.
As a result of that meeting, it also appears that Turkish Airlines may resume flights to Tripoli which were suspended last year on security grounds. It is reported that Cavusoglu travelled with Turkish Airlines’ officials who reviewed operations and security Tripoli’s Mitiga airport. It was not possible to reach anyone at Turkish Airlines in Istanbul for a comment.
Turkish sources also say that Cavusoglu agreed that Turkish companies would return to Libya to complete some $18.5 billion-worth of projects abandoned at or since the Revolution. No time frame was given. It remains unclear if any arrangement was reached on the repayment of some $20 billion of outstanding debts to Turkish contractors. [/restrict]
