Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday authorized an 18-month extension of its troop deployment in Libya in support of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, the Anadolu state news agency reported

Turkey’s support GNA in Tripoli helped stave off an offensive by eastern Commander Khalifa Haftar in April 2019.

The sides struck a ceasefire agreement in October formally ending the fighting and setting the stage for elections at the end of next year.

Turkey’s presence in Libya is linked to its broader interests in the eastern Mediterranean, where it is hunting for natural gas in disputed waters claimed by Cyprus in Greece.

Ankara struck an agreement with the GNA leadership in November 2019 that extended Turkey’s maritime claims in the Mediterranean in exchange for military support.

Turkey’s parliament authorized the first one-year troop deployment to Libya in January of this year.