Spokesman of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, has described the recent visit of Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, as a violation of Libya’s sovereignty.
During a press conference held on Monday evening in Benghazi, Al-Mismari strongly criticized Akar’s visit to Tripoli, as the Defence Minister “landed in Libya without coordination with the Libyan side.”
“This is a crime. All Libyan soldiers have been removed from the Mitiga base, which is fully controlled by the Turkish forces,” Al-Mismari said. The LNA spokesman also denounced the silence of the Presidential Council, the Interim Government, civil society, and political activists from this “arbitrary” Turkish measure.
He added that the LNA is “fighting for peace and is committed to holding elections on time.”
On Saturday, a high-level Turkish delegation landed in Libya in an unannounced visit, according to an official statement on Saturday.
The statement, issued by the Communications Department of the Turkish Presidency, stated that the delegation was led by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and included Defense Minister;Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister; Suleyman Soylu, Chief of General Staff; Yasar Guler, Intelligence Chief; Hakan Fidan, Communications Director; Fahrettin Altun and Presidential Spokesman; Ibrahim Kalin.
Last week, Al-Mismari described the Turkish presence in Libya as an “occupation,” calling on Ankara to withdraw its forces and affiliated mercenaries immediately.