The Turkish Parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of extending the deployment of Turkish forces in Libya by 18 months, following a request by President Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish forces were deployed to Libya as part of a military cooperation agreement concluded between Turkey and Libya's previous Government of National Accord (GNA) in 2019 during Khalifa Haftar's aggression on Tripoli.

Last week, the Turkish government submitted a memorandum requesting an extension of the tasks of the Turkish forces operating there.

The memorandum, which was signed by Erdogan, mentioned the importance of a continued presence in Libya to protect national interests within the framework of international law and as a precautionary measure against security risks emanating from illegal armed groups in Libya.

"The extension is to maintain security against other potential risks, such as mass migration waves, and to provide humanitarian aid to the Libyan people and support the legitimate government in Libya," the document stated.