Panafrican News Agency

Erdogan says Turkey will not stay passive in the face of Libyan bloodshed

Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his country has not sent forces to Libya, but would consider the issue if ever a request is made by the internationally recognized government headed by Fayez El Sarraj.

El Sarraj, Head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) recently concluded an agreement with Turkey on delineating  borders between the two countries.

At a press conference held in Tunis with his Tunisian counterpart, Kaïs Saied, the Turkish head of state attacked the head of the Libyan National Army, Marshal Khalifa Hafter, accusing him of wanting to impose a "fait accompli" in his offensive to take control of the capital, Tripoli, with military and financial support of other countries, in particular the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt.

"We will not tolerate our Libyan brothers, the majority of whom are Muslims, being at the mercy of the actions of these parties," he warned.

Accompanied by a large delegation, Erdogan arrived in Tunis early Wednesday for a brief  "working visit" during which he held a  session with President Kaïs Saied and his close collaborators focusing mainly on the Libyan file.

The Turkish delegation included the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Hulusi Akar, head of the intelligence services Hakan Fidan, head of the Presidency's communication department Fahrettin Altun, and  spokesman for the Presidency Ibrahim Calin.

Erdogan denounced the presence of foreign forces in Libya, making 5,000 Sudanese and some 2,000 Russians. "In what capacity did they enter (Libya)? What did they come to do? What are their links," he queried.

Erdogan also rejected Greece's right to interfere in the Libyan case. "Greece has no sea or land borders and no agreement with Libya," he argued.   

On the other hand, he considered that "the borders between Turkey and Libya are clear," noting that the Turkey-Libya agreement was signed by "two governments that have the powers to take decisions.

"We will continue to cooperate within the framework of this agreement to implement it," he assured.

Erdogan also advocated the participation of Tunisia, Algeria and Qatar in the forthcoming Berlin conference on Libya, adding that he had discussed the matter with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who promised to study the issue.

According to him, "Tunisia can play a positive role in the search for a political solution to the Libyan crisis". 

For his part, Tunisian President Kaïs Saied, whose country shares a long border of more than 400 km with Libya, said that the Turkish-Libyan agreement demarcating the maritime borders between the two countries "does not concern Tunisia". "It is a Turkish-Libyan issue," he said.

He also said the two sides had discussed "major cooperation projects, including the construction of a children's hospital" in Tunisia, and the re-balancing of trade between the two countries, which is marked by a large deficit to Tunisia's detriment.

-0- PANA BB/IS/MTA/AR 25Dec2019