Yusuf Katipoğlu, a Turkish politician with close links to the ruling ‘Justice and Development’ party (AKP), rejected the condemnation of Turkey by Egypt, France, Greece, Cyprus and the UAE.
He claimed that these nations wanted to bring an end to “the democratic experience of the Libyan people” and return it to a dictatorship.
In a statement on Wednesday, Katipoğlu said that the “accusations” made by these countries showed the weakness of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army.
He defended Turkey’s support for the Government of National Accord (GNA), arguing that it was entirely legitimate.
“They claimed that weapons were being transported from Turkey, forgetting that Turkey has every right, according to the signed security agreement with the GNA”.
He added that “the Turkish government is determined to establish a military base in Libya, if necessary. There will be absolute support and surprises of great caliber”.
“Turkey has significant regional and global political weight. Turkey is a NATO member, with strong influence. It is the most powerful army in Europe, and the second most powerful army in NATO. It has intervened in Libya as a matter of international political responsibility between the two countries and is offering genuine support to defend the joint agreements”, Katipoğlu claimed.
