The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, revealed that his country stopped the Prime Minister-designate, Fathi Bashagha, when he tried to enter the capital, Tripoli. He claims that this shows the size of Turkey’s intervention in western Libya.
Such remarks came during a session at the eighth edition of the Rome Med – Mediterranean Dialogues conference, which is being held in the Italian capital from the 1st to the 3rd of December.
The Turkish Minister said that the situation is fragile in Libya, as the issue of legitimacy is still open. He noted that there are some parties trying to compete with Ankara.
He added that it is necessary for the Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS) to ensure a constitutional basis for the electoral process. “Right now, even if they say they want elections, they are not taking any concrete steps.”
He claimed that fair and democratic elections are the only way to ensure the reunification of Libya. “When Fathi Bashagha tried to enter Tripoli, we stopped him. What he did was unacceptable.”
These statements indicate that Al-Dbaiba’s government has no authority over western Libya. The government has expired since last June and is looking for international legitimacy.
Since assuming power, it has been preoccupied with maintaining a close relationship with the Turks despite their interference in western Libya. It has kept the Turkish mercenaries, officers and soldiers in the capital and its surroundings.
The Government of National Unity (GNU) recognised the Turkish presence and even strengthened it through security and economic agreements. According to such agreements, Turkey could falter in the joints of Libya, and continue to plunder more wealth.
Last October, the economic agreements concluded by the GNU and Turkey on oil exploration created more divisions and disagreements in the country, especially as they strengthen Ankara’s authority over Libyan resources.
The GNU defended these agreements, and Al-Dbaiba saw that the agreements signed between the two parties serve the supreme interests of the Libyan people.
The GNU’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Najlaa Al-Mangoush, stated that the memorandum of understanding for gas and oil exploration, which was signed last October with Turkey, is in the interest of the two countries and contributes to resolving the global crisis regarding gas energy.
The Minister of Economy, Mohamed Al-Hwaij, also rejected the accusations leveled against the Al-Dbaiba government regarding the concession of land and sea.
The Minister of Economy claimed that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) does not harm the Libyans, nor is it an agreement, but a MoU. He added that the MoU aimed at investment and exploitation of the international situation and the urgent need for energy after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that broke out in late February 24th.
Due to what the GNU did to legitimise the Turkish presence, Ankara became the final authority in western Libya. Its Foreign Minister explicitly announced their intervention to prevent the legitimate government from taking control of the capital, Tripoli.
Observers believe that such statements reveal the weakness of the GNU and that, in the context of its search for legitimacy and allies, it dispensed with control over Libyan institutions and its wealth.