General Claudio Graziano, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (CEUMC), described the situation in Libya, the Sahel, the Gulf of Aden, and the Horn of Africa as “alarming”.
“The eastern Mediterranean region is plagued by crises that we have not seen in decades,” Graziano said in an interview with the Italian newspaper ‘La Repubblica’.
He pointed out that the foreign actors in Libya, particularly Turkey, are operating outside the framework of international relations and UN Security Council resolutions, causing many issues in the North African country.
Graziano noted that the EU had missed opportunities to “be more present, more assertive, and effective in the Libyan scenario.”
“I have lived through the Libyan crisis since its early days in 2011, which came as a result of the revolutions of the Arab Spring that brought about powerful changes in the Middle East region. Europe failed at that time to provide a supportive response to the peacebuilding process in Libya, and prevent external interference in the North African country,” Graziano stated
“The vacuum left by the international community in Libya was filled by foreign actors such as Turkey, which has failed to adhere to all the rules of the international community and even created a stalemate in the country,” he concluded.