Erdogan: Turkey is saddened by the plans of the head of the GNA of Libya Sarraj to resign

18 September 2020

 

Turkish authorities are upset by the plans of the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya, Fayez Sarraj, to resign, the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters.

 

"We are saddened by this news. Negotiations with various delegations may take place this week," the Turkish leader said.

 

According to Erdogan, it was " thanks to the intervention of [Turkey], Mr. Sarraj and his team were able to escape from the putschist [commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa] Haftar." The Turkish President is confident that Haftar "will lose sooner or later."

 

On September 17, the head of the Government of National Accord of Libya, Fayez Sarraj, announced his intention to resign before the end of October this year, transferring powers to new unified executive bodies that have yet to be formed through inter-Libyan negotiations.

 

Relations between Ankara and Tripoli

 

In Libya, there have been two parallel executive authorities for several years - the GNA of Fayez Sarraj in Tripoli and the interim Cabinet supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar and the Parliament in the East of the country. In the spring of 2019, Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli, in response, the GNA turned to Turkey for support after the parties signed a Memorandum of military cooperation on November 28, 2019.

 

The agreements between Ankara and Tripoli also included the delineation of maritime zones, which caused an escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean due to the reaction of Greece. According to the Greek Foreign Ministry, the document, which contains coordinates for the actual delimitation of the sea shelf and exclusive economic zones of Turkey and Libya, deprives the Greek Islands that are located between Turkey and Libya of the right to the continental shelf and exclusive economic zones. Turkish and Greek warships were sent to the disputed zones, and negotiations between the parties are being held on the NATO platform, Athens and Ankara are members of which.

 

 

 

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Photo: official website of President of Russian Federation

Based on materials TASS