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Ankara - Turkey's special envoy to Libya said on Wednesday that Turkish Airlines would resume flights to the eastern Libyan city of Misrata next week, the first foreign carrier to fly to the country since fighting there worsened in July.
Three years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is in chaos, with Islamists and other armed groups feuding for territory and power and the government unable to impose control.
Turkey's national carrier (THY), which is majority owned by the state, will initially operate a daily flight to Misrata, 200km to the east of Tripoli from Istanbul, starting on October 27, the envoy Emrullah Isler said.
The airline is also considering the security and logistical possibilities for routes to the eastern cities Tobruk and Bayda, Isler said on his return from Libya on Tuesday night.
Turkey is one of Libya's biggest business partners and has maintained strong diplomatic ties with successive governments since Gaddafi's fall.
Tripoli's main airport, which was badly damaged as fighters battled for its control, is not operational. More than 20 civilian aircraft were damaged or destroyed at the airport. Libyan airlines use a military base to fly to Tripoli.
The capital was seized in August by an armed group from Misrata, forcing the government to flee to Bayda and the elected parliament to move to Tobruk near the Egyptian border.
Tripoli's new rulers proclaimed their own government and formed a parliament, neither of which have been internationally recognised.
However, on his trip to Libya Isler met with the Tripoli-based, self-declared prime minister, Omar al-Hasi, the first publicly known diplomatic meeting with a foreign representative.
Last month, the United Nations started dialogue in an effort to find a solution to the oil-rich desert nation's mounting political woes.
Isler said Turkey was prepared to play a role.
"We as Turkey are ready to contribute to the dialogue process. For the dialogue to proceed healthily clashes must stop," he said.
Western powers and Libya's neighbours worry the country is drifting towards becoming a failed state, and that unrest could spark a full-blown civil war.
