Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Monday 6th January that Turkish forces would do their duty in Libya after being deployed to support the country’s besieged Government of National Accord after on Sunday 5th January, he confirmed the start of a military deployment to Libya.
“There will be an operation center [in Libya]. There will be a Turkish lieutenant general leading, and they will be managing the situation over there. [Turkish soldiers] are gradually moving there right now,” said Erdogan. “The goal of the Turkish Armed Forces is not to fight, but to ensure a cease-fire in Libya.”
The GNA is currently under siege by forces led by Libyan General Khalif Haftar, who controls eastern Libya. Last month, the Turkish Parliament sanctioned the deployment of military forces to Libya, following Erdogan’s November signing of a military cooperation agreement with the GNA.
It is not clear how large a force Turkey intends to send, but Turkish analysts have described a mixed air, land and naval force. Turkey has plans, they say, to establish a sea and land base, possibly in Misurata, and to train a Libyan national army.
Ankara also agreed to a maritime agreement with Tripoli that extends Turkish control over a critical part of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Turkey is currently embroiled in an increasingly bitter competition with regional countries in the search for hydrocarbons across the Mediterranean Sea. The rivalry is now extending to control over the distribution of natural gas.
“It’s a very strategic move by Turkey to stop the emerging blocks by countries like Israel, Greece, Egypt against Turkey,” said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University. “The deployment of Turkish troops to Libya is legitimate. Strategically speaking, it’s about survival – will Turkey be in the eastern Mediterranean or not?”
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell – along with a handful of leading EU states – have rejected Turkish military presence and deployment in Libya.
Following a meeting with foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, Borrell on Tuesday (7 January) called for an immediate ceasefire in and around Tripoli.
He told reporters in Brussels that outside interference in Libya was only making the crisis worse.
“It is obvious that this makes a reference to the Turkish decision to intervene with their troops in Libya which is something we reject and increases our situation of worries in Libya,” he said.
The move follows a flare-up of fighting in Libya as Turkey deployed troops to support the UN-backed government of national accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
An insurgency from the east of the country led by general Khalifa Haftar is said to have been behind an air strike over the weekend that killed at least 30 people in the besieged capital.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell – along with a handful of leading EU states – have rejected Turkish military presence and deployment in Libya.
Following a meeting with foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, Borrell on Tuesday (7 January) called for an immediate ceasefire in and around Tripoli.
He told reporters in Brussels that outside interference in Libya was only making the crisis worse.
“It is obvious that this makes a reference to the Turkish decision to intervene with their troops in Libya which is something we reject and increases our situation of worries in Libya,” he said.
The move follows a flare-up of fighting in Libya as Turkey deployed troops to support the UN-backed government of national accord (GNA) in Tripoli.
An insurgency from the east of the country led by general Khalifa Haftar is said to have been behind an air strike over the weekend that killed at least 30 people in the besieged capital.
Meanwhile on Tuesday 7th January, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell along with foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom have rejected Turkish military presence and deployment in Libya and called for an immediate ceasefire in and around Tripoli.
He told reporters in Brussels that outside interference in Libya was only making the crisis worse. “It is obvious that this makes a reference to the Turkish decision to intervene with their troops in Libya which is something we reject and increases our situation of worries in Libya,” he said.
The move follows a flare-up of fighting in Libya as Turkey deployed troops to support the UN-backed government of national accord (GNA) in Tripoli. An insurgency from the east of the country led by general Khalifa Haftar is said to have been behind an air strike over the weekend that killed at least 30 people in the besieged capital.
Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Thursday 9th January 2020