a) Political Structure
Type of Government : Jamahiriya, a term that defines the governance of people through local councils.
"The Brotherly Leader and Guide of the
Revolution" : Mu'ammar Abu Minyar al- KADDAFI
Libya was under the Ottoman rule from 1551 to 1911. It was invaded by the Italians in 1934. Following the World War-II , the British and the French took the control of the country. In 1951 Libya declared its independence. On September 1, 1969, a coup d'état against King Idris took place and the new regime, headed by the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the new Libyan Arab Republic. In 1977 the county’s name was changed to the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
In Libya’s political system, General People’s Congress is the legislative forum, while General People's Committee is the organ of execution, whose members are secretaries of Libyan ministries. The latter serves as the intermediary between the people and the leadership and is composed of the secretariats of some 600 local "basic popular congresses." These cabinet secretaries are responsible for the routine operation of their ministries, but Kaddafi holds a strong authority, although he doesn’t have any official title.
b) Bilateral Political Relations
Although Turkish-Libyan relations showed ups and downs in 90’s, Turkey; cognizant of deep rooted relations existing between the two countries based on common history, social and cultural affinities; has spared no effort to improve both political and economic relations.
To this end, the visits of Turkish Foreign Minister in 2001, the meeting of Turkish and Libyan FM’s in İstanbul in 2004 within the margins of OIC FM Conference, political consultations held in February 2006 between high level officials of the two Foreign Ministries and recent visit of the State Minister in charge of Foreign Trade Kürşat Tüzmen to Libya in February 2007 have been instrumental in both maintaining and improving our relations.
Turkey welcomed Libya’s decision and commitment to eliminate all elements of its chemical and nuclear weapons programs and supported the Libyan Government’s reintegration with the international community.
c) Official Visits
The official visits at the level of head of states and governments since 1984 are as follows:
From Turkey to Libya:
Prime Minister H.E. Turgut Özal - May 22-25, 1984
Prime Minister H.E. Turgut Özal - May 28-30, 1988
Prime Minister H.E. Tansu Çiller - October 30-November 1, 1994
Prime Minister H.E. Necmettin Erbakan - October 4-6, 1996
From Libya to Turkey
There hasn’t been an official visit at the level of head of states and governments from Libya to Turkey since the 1969 revolution.