Turkey intends to conclude a new agreement with the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya with the participation of the UN. This statement was made on Friday by President of the Republic Tayyip Erdogan.
"We will not leave our Libyan brothers alone. We have already signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of military training. And we are going to sign a new agreement, including the UN, " the Turkish leader told reporters after Friday prayers.
Erdogan did not specify what area the new agreement would affect.
Meanwhile, the Turkish President also called "illegal steps taken by Egypt" in the issue of the Libyan settlement, while, according to Tayyip Erdogan, " all actions of Ankara in the zone of the Libyan conflict are legal."
About the situation in Libya
In Libya, for a long time there have been two parallel bodies of executive power: the GNA of Fayez Sarraj and the interim Cabinet, which operates in the East of the country together with the House of representatives (the permanent elected Parliament) and is supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA). More than a year ago, the opposing camps started fighting for the main city of the country, after the commander of the LNA, Khalifa Haftar, launched an offensive on the capital on April 4, 2019, with the goal, as he claimed, of liberating it from terrorists.
The Tripoli Cabinet has officially asked for help from Turkey on the basis of a Memorandum of military cooperation signed with it. To date, with the active support of Ankara, the GNA has managed to regain control of a number of territories previously captured by the LNA.
On June 20, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during a review of troops at a base in the Western military district, did not rule out the possibility of military intervention in Libya in order, as he said, "to stop the bloodshed in the neighboring country and ensure border security", pointing out that such a step "will have a legitimate status", and "the Egyptian troops will move if the Libyans ask for it". The President also promised to arm and train Libyan tribes if necessary, and warned the GNA and Turkey, which supports it, that Cairo would not allow anyone to capture the strategically important and now under the control of the LNA Sirte and the municipality of al-Jufra, calling them "a red line that is not allowed to cross". In the capital's Cabinet, his statements were called "an encroachment on sovereignty" and "a declaration of war".
On July 14, the Libyan Parliament issued a statement stating that the Egyptian Armed forces "in light of the direct invasion by Turkey, as well as violations of the sovereignty of Libya" have the right to intervene "if they see an imminent threat to the national security of the two countries."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS