On Sunday, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Libyan Interim Government, Abdel Salam Al-Badri, warned of serious repercussions as a result of clear interference by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) in setting the exchange rate of the Libyan currency, which was approved to stand at 4.48 Libyan dinars per dollar.
In press statements, Al-Badri said that the Central Bank of Libya’s (CBL) decision to set a fixed exchange rate aims to serve the interests of the two international financial institutions in the country, noting that it will also harm the basic needs of the Libyan people and badly affect their lives.
He called on the CBL to reconsider its decision as soon as possible, describing it as “unfair” because it will eventually lead to an increase in the prices of all goods and services linked to the dollar in the country.
In a related context, the Deputy Premier said, “Turkey is extending its control over Tripoli and all western parts of the county under the nose of the Libyan officials at the Government of National Accord (GNA), who allowed Ankara to transform Al-Watiyah airbase into a Turkish military base on the Libyan territory.
Al-Badri also stated that Turkey is seeking to control the oil fields and ports in eastern Libya, adding that an agreement has been recently concluded between the GNA and a Turkish company, owned by a friend of the Turkish President, for customs management and the supervision of goods coming into the country.
He added, “Turkey and Qatar’s allies, at the same time, are trying to ignite the situation and drag the country towards a military confrontation, but we hope that the expected sanctions on Turkey will reduce the volume of Turkish weapons’ shipments, which are still landing at western Libya.”