Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar claimed that the EU’s Operation ‘IRINI’, which aims to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, went against international law and UN resolutions.
He claims that it helps Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) against the Turkish backed, UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
In an interview, Akar stated that “Some European countries launched an operation under the name ‘IRINI’. What is the status of this operation under international law? Is it in line with United Nations resolutions? Have these states coordinated the operation with NATO, and countries of the region?”
“NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, made statements in which he stressed the necessity of not placing the LNA and the UN recognized GNA at the same level. He pointed out the need for a peace process and political solution by the GNA. We are conducting assessments of the situation in Libya, and this view must be taken into account.”, he added.
Regarding the countries that launched ‘IRINI’ “We hope that these countries will reconsider the operation, and take these issues into consideration.”
Operation IRINI’s stated aims are to “support the implementation of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council on Libya” through the use of maritime, and ariel means. The operation will also provide monitoring to prevent illicit oil exports and fight against human trafficking networks.
