No, Türkiye did not lease Al-Khums Port from Libya for 99 years to build a military base

By: Emincan Yüksel
September 21 2023

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Source: X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts

Context

On August 16, 2023, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Turkish Maritime and Global Strategies Center claimed that Türkiye had leased Al-Khums Port from Libya for 99 years to establish a military base. The post amassed 610,000 views, 4,400 likes and 800 retweets. It also claimed that the Turkish Armed Forces would establish a military base in the port, to be given to the Turkish Navy and Land Forces, and that Turkish maritime jurisdictions and the security of commercial ships will be ensured.

Greek, Russian, and Arab media platforms also spread such claims. 

Al-Khums Port has been the subject of widespread protests in recent weeks due to the rumor of a transfer of authority to the nearby Naval Military Base.

In fact

The Libyan government has denied the news that Al Khums port will be leased to Türkiye for military purposes. Libya's House of Representatives recently overturned a military prosecutor's order to annex the critical Al Khums commercial port to a nearby naval base. The decision came after protests erupted when residents of Al Khums blocked roads to oppose the annexation, which they said would cripple the area's economy. Interior Ministry forces were deployed to contain the ongoing protests.

The Libyan Prime Minister, Minister of Transport, Chief of General Staff, Commander of the Naval Forces, and Mayor of Al-Khums held a meeting to resolve the confusion regarding the Al-Khums Port. The meeting stated that the agreement between the Ministries of Transpiration and Defense should be revised to allow benefits to be made from the port and the naval base, in addition to striking cooperation between the two managements so they can avoid politicizing any legal administrative measures taken by the authorities. However, the Chief of General Staff, Mohammed Al-Haddad, said some of the information and news circulated in public regarding the naval base to be set up at the port in Al-Khums was false.

The Ministry of National Defense of Türkiye also denied the rumors, stating, "On 5 August 2023, the Libyan state authorities decided to evacuate the civilian elements in the Al-Khums Military Sea Port area. Thereupon, unfounded allegations were made by those who did not want to leave the region in order to protest this decision and to create different perceptions in public opinion, claiming that the said part of the Al-Khums Military Sea Port was evacuated to be given to the Turks. In addition, military cooperation activities between Türkiye and Libya are carried out in line with the demands of the Libyan authorities in the training centers of the Libyan Armed Forces and in the consultancy dimension. The decision taken by the Libyan authorities has nothing to do with us or our activities."

Turkish researcher and policy analyst Nebahat Tanrıverdi Yaşar told Logically Facts that a "memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation" between Libya and Türkiye addresses this particular issue. According to Article 4 of this agreement, ownership of the buildings and lands designated for training and other collaborative activities in Libya remains under the authority of the Libyan state.

Moreover, Yavaş asserted that the statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Defence, which reads, "Military cooperation activities between Türkiye and Libya are carried out in line with the demands of the Libyan authorities, in the training centers of the Libyan Armed Forces and in the consultancy dimension" serves as confirmation that both the ownership and control of these military facilities fall within the jurisdiction of the Libyan Armed Forces.

Yavaş reiterated that the agreement's articles are clear and clarified that the ownership of the facilities does not pertain to Türkiye. She added that any expansion or alteration of the agreement's scope would require the Turkish Grand National Assembly's approval. She also emphasized that the leasing practice, which is the subject of the allegations, is not among the general practices of the Ministry of Defence.

The verdict

There is no evidence that Türkiye has leased Al-Khums Port from Libya for 99 years. Both countries have denied the claims, and according to a memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation signed between Libya and Türkiye, ownership of the buildings and lands designated for training and other collaborative activities in Libya remains under the authority of the Libyan state. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.