Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not rule out holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the current situation in Libya.
“After the talks with [US President Donald] Trump, a new stage may begin in the American-Turkish relations with regards to the [transition] process [in Libya]; we have reached an agreement on various issues. <…> At the same time, this (the situation in Libya) must be discussed with Mr. Putin. I may hold talks with him as well”, the Turkish leader noted, quoted by the Anadolu Agency.
As White House spokesman Judd Deere told journalists earlier, Trump and Erdogan had held a phone call on Monday, during which they discussed the situation in Libya, Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean region, as well as the fight against the novel coronavirus.
“Today we have discussed with Trump developments in the region, especially Libya – it is of great concern in the United States. We confirmed that everything is going well there now, we gave all the details of what is going on there. A new period may begin between Turkey and the United States regarding Libya. We have reached certain agreements. But we will have to discuss it with the esteemed (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. Perhaps, there will be negotiations with him”, Erdogan said on TRT.
He did not specify what exactly Turkey and the US agreed on Libya.
“We are on the side of Fayez Sarraj (head of Libyan National Accord), who is supported by the UN and the world community. He is opposed by Khalifa Haftar (head of the LNA). So far, vital regions have been taken over by the NTC and their offensive is continuing”, the Turkish leader added.
The situation in Libya
Currently, Libya has two parallel bodies of executive power: the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, and Abdullah Abdurrahman al-Thani’s interim government, operating in the country’s east together with parliament and supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Commander Khalifa Haftar. For over a year, the warring parties have been fighting for the capital of Libya after Haftar attacked Tripoli on April 4, 2019, with the aim, he said, of freeing the capital from terrorists.
The Tripoli Cabinet of Ministers responded by mobilizing all armed groups under its control, formally seeking assistance from Turkey on the basis of a memorandum of military cooperation signed with it at the end of November last year. The LNA has since repeatedly accused Ankara of supplying various weapons to the NTC forces, bypassing the international embargo, and sending hundreds of mercenaries from Syria to help them. The capital city Government, for its part, claims that the LNA enjoys the active support of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and a number of other countries, claiming that they are also sending weapons, military specialists and mercenaries to Libya.
On January 19, a conference on Libyan settlement at the level of heads of state and government, including the Russian Federation, took place in Berlin. The conference’s final communique includes a call to ceasefire, as well as the call for foreign countries to refrain from intervening in Libya’s affairs, while it also proposes creation of a single government and launch of reforms to restore statehood that was demolished by NATO almost ten years ago. The second round of inter-Libyan negotiations in Geneva on February 23 resulted in a draft ceasefire agreement, which was never implemented.
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from RIA Novosti, TASS