Turkey is beginning to send troops into Libya in support of the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, days before a summit in Berlin, which will address the Libyan conflict.
Turkey, which backs Fayez al-Serraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA), has previously said that it sent a training and cooperation team which is now active in Libya.
On Thursday, Erdogan said Turkey was starting the deployment of its troops to Libya and that it would use all its diplomatic and military means to ensure stability to its south, according to France 24.
Erdogan reportedly warned on Tuesday that Turkey will not refrain from “teaching a lesson” to Haftar’s eastern Libyan forces if their attacks against the GNA continue.
Turkey and Libya signed two agreements in November, one on military cooperation and another on maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean. Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkey will quickly start granting licenses for exploration and drilling in the region.
Hurriet Daily News reported today that Turkey’s presidential spokesman discussed developments in Syria and Libya over the phone with the U.S. national security advisor.
İbrahim Kalın and Robert C. O'Brien also exchanged views on an international conference that will be held on January 19 in Berlin on the Libyan crisis and highlighted the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and agreement on the de-escalation zone in Idlib, Syria, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Kalın and O'Brien also agreed on making the necessary suggestions to the relevant parties for the implementation of the ceasefire in Libya.
On Sunday, Germany will host a summit on Libya involving the rival camps, their main foreign backers and representatives from the United Nations, the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, Turkey and Italy. Haftar and Serraj have also been invited, but it is unclear if they will attend.
