On Monday, the second deputy speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Ehmid Houma, stated that Turkey was placing great pressure on the Government of National Accord (GNA) to recapture Sirte. Its aim is to control the Al-Hilal oil-rich area in the city.
In an interview with the Russian News Agency ‘Sputnik’, Houma claimed that Turkey also pressured the GNA to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to demarcate their maritime borders.
He noted that this demonstrated that Turkey’s ambitions in Libya were in the oil and natural gas sector.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently announced the continuation of exploration activities for gas in Libya’s regional waters.
The Deputy Speaker of the Libyan Parliament welcomed the Arab League’s recent statements on Libya, praising the Egyptian led initiative dubbed the ‘Cairo Declaration’.
It aims to reach a peaceful settlement to the Libyan crisis and enforce joint Arab defense agreements against any foreign interference in the country.
He also appreciated Russian efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire and returning to the negotiating table.
“Sirte and Al-Jufra are a red line,” Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi warned recently. He called on the army to “be prepared to carry out any mission here within our borders, or if necessary outside our borders”.