Members of the Libyan Parliament denounced the Turkish Parliament’s approval of a bill submitted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the deployment of military troops in Libya for 18 months.
MP Zidan Al-Zadma said that Turkey is seeking to maintain its political and economic interests in Libya, especially in the west. He accused Ankara of trying to control the country’s natural resources.
Al-Zadma stressed that Turkey’s military intervention in Libya threatens the ongoing peace process and was violating the ceasefire agreement signed in October. “Turkey does not want a solution in Libya because it benefits from the unrest and turmoil,” he said.
Member of the Parliament’s Defence and Security Committee, Ali Al-Takbali, told Al-Arabiya news that Turkey was disregarding international agreements that stipulate the withdrawal of foreign troops from Libya. Al-Takbali confirmed that Turkey is attempting to obstruct rapprochement between Libya’s political forces to protect its own interests.
MP Musbah Oheyda described the Turkish bill as an “invasion” that might threaten the military negotiations reached by the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC).