Erdoğan: Turkey to Send Troops to Libya

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Turkey will send troops to Libya, accepting the country's invitation, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today (December 26).

He said a motion for military support to Libya will be submitted to the Turkish parliament when it opens after recess.

Turkey and Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) signed

The President also accused some European and Arab countries of supporting east Libya-based Khalifa Haftar's forces and said Turkey has been invited by Libya's "legitimate administration."

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Erdoğan's remarks came at a meeting of provincial chairs of the AKP at the party's headquarters in the capital Ankara.

Turkey will lend all manner of support to Tripoli administration which is fighting Haftar, Erdoğan said.

"They are helping a war baron, we are responding to the invitation of Libya's legitimate government. That's the difference."

"We have signed a memorandum of understanding, and we are concluding the Military Security and Cooperation Agreement. I hope we will ratify it in our parliament on January 8 or 9, and thus we will respond to [Libya's] invitation."

On November 27, Ankara and Tripoli's GNA signed two separate agreements, one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Since the ouster of late leader Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the GNA in the capital Tripoli, which is recognized by the United Nations (UN).

A surprise visit to Tunisia

Erdoğan paid a surprise visit to Tunisia yesterday, discussing the developments regarding Libya with his counterpart Kais Saied.

"I believe Tunisia will make valuable and constructive contributions to efforts to achieve stability in Libya," Erdoğan said at a joint press conference with Saied.

He also said that during his visit, he and Saied discussed steps to start a political process after a cease-fire in Libya, and how Tunisia might help.

Erdoğan said Turkey is taking steps with the UN-recognized GNA led by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.

He dismissed the eastern Libya-based Khalifa Haftar, saying that it "lacks qualifications" and that "we should not let our brothers in Libya be persecuted by" Haftar's military forces.

Citing the presence of five thousand Sudanese and two thousand Russian soldiers in Libya, Erdoğan asked what they are doing there.

On the Berlin process meant to end the conflict in Libya, Erdoğan said Algeria, Tunisia and Qatar should have been involved in the process as they know Libya's sociopolitical structure well.

Since September, several high-level meetings known as the "Berlin peace process" were held in the German capital to put an end to the conflict.

Saied, for his part, said that he and Erdoğan discussed the issue of Libya in detail.

Cooperation on health and agriculture, as well as economic, social and political issues, were also discussed, Saied said.

"The memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and Libya determines the [maritime] boundaries between the two countries. This is an issue between the two countries. It does not cover Tunisia," Saied added. (PT/VK)