While applauding the success of the opposition in its months-long armed struggle against the Libyan regime, Turkey has told the country’s new leaders that in order to maintain stability, they must allow current state institutions to endure.

Ankara also urged Libya’s National Transitional Council to form an inclusive new government based on democratic principles.

The opposition should “take care not to disband settled institutions of the country such as the army and the police,” according to messages conveyed to NTC leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu during a trip to Benghazi.

“We observed that NTC officials have the same approach as us,” a Turkish diplomat who participated in Tuesday’s meeting between Davutoğlu and Abdul-Jalil told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Though Turkey was the last NATO ally to call for longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi to step down, and did not participate in the military operations that resulted in the leadership change, the Turkish government became the first to congratulate the NTC through Davutoğlu’s visit.

The first of five messages conveyed by Turkey to the founders of the new Libya concerned the composition of the new administration, which Ankara said should be formed with the inclusion of all political groups, including former government officials and other people who served Gadhafi and his family in the past, so long as they were not involved in illegal activities. A new Parliament should be elected through a fair process that includes everyone who wants to run, Turkey said.

Ankara also emphasized the critical importance of protecting the unity of Libya and forming the new administration through an inclusive process while not allowing the NTC to splinter into various factions.

Instead of destroying institutions such as the army, the police and the administrative system, the new leadership should work on strengthening them, Turkey said, welcoming Abdul-Jalil’s statement that Tripoli would continue to be the capital city.

Ankara also said the NTC should focus on reforms to bring the country in line with the international community, and that Libya’s vast oil and natural gas resources should be developed transparently and used for the benefit of the entire country.