‘All Power of Libya's Haftar Comes from Russia,’ Says President Erdoğan
* Photo & News: Anadolu Agency (AA)
President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan answered the questions of journalists at a live program of the state channel TRT last evening (June 8).
Addressing a series of current issues including the situation in Libya and Syria as well as Turkey's relations with the US and Russia, Erdoğan has indicated that "Turkey will stand by Libya's UN-recognized government against putschist Haftar and those supporting him."
Since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: One in eastern Libya, the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar, and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition, the Government of National Accord (GNA).
Referring to the US-Turkey relations within this context, President Erdoğan has indicated that "Turkey and the US are approaching a new era in ties over the handling of the situation in Libya."
"A new era can begin in bilateral relations on the transition process in Libya," Erdoğan has added further, shortly after he had a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump.
'I will talk to Russia's President Putin'
Reiterating that "Turkey stands by Libya's UN-recognized government against the putschist Khalifa Haftar and those who support him," Erdoğan has touted the strategic gains on the battlefield by Libya's army, indicating that Haftar will be excluded from any political solution in Libya.
Erdoğan has also said that he will speak with President of Russia Vladimir Putin about Moscow's claims that it does not have any soldiers in Libya. He has added that "all of Haftar's power comes from Russia."
Erdoğan has also addressed the latest situation in Syria and emphasized that "so far, things have gone well in Idlib, Syria since a ceasefire came into effect in March, noting that some of the agreements reached by Ankara and Moscow have not been adhered to. "There have been violations by the Bashar al-Assad regime," he has indicated further.
Erdoğan raised concerns over US
Touching upon the death of George Floyd as a result of police violence and the ensuing protests in the US, President Erdoğan has stated, "The killing of George Floyd is a manifestation of a racist approach. It is a situation that no conscientious person can accept."
On Donald Trump saying he will declare the left-wing anti-fascist group Antifa a terrorist organization, Erdoğan has said that "the PKK/YPG terrorist group's cooperation with Antifa is significant."
"It is meaningful to see that PKK/YPG and the terrorist group which is called Antifa are coming together in the US. I have told Mr Trump this."
Libya also cited in National Security Council StatementIn the statement issued after the meeting of the National Security Council on June 2, it was announced that "the military consultancy services provided by Turkey to Libya's United Nations (UN)-recognized legitimate government, which endeavors to protect Libya's political unity and territorial integrity and to ensure peace and tranquility across the country, will be continued." "The international community is called on to take a principled stance against shady groups, which usurp the will of Libyan people and target Libya's legitimate government," the statement read further. Following the ouster of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya's new government was founded in 2015 under a political deal led by the United Nations (UN). The government and western parts of the country have been under attack by Haftar's forces since April 2019, with over 1,000 killed. Having convened to discuss a motion on military deployment to Libya in early January 2020, the General Assembly of the Parliament of Turkey has passed the motion by a vote of 325 against 184. |
(SD)