On Saturday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reiterated his country’s commitment to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), saying that Ankara will maintain its presence in the North African country as long as needed.
During an official visit to Tripoli, Akar stated that Turkey will do “whatever the international law and justice require” in Libya, saying that Ankara will not give up support to the government led by Fayez al-Sarraj.
Akar and Chief of General Staff General Yasar Guler, who are on an official visit to Libya, met Turkish security forces in the country. They later visited Tripoli’s Mitiga Hospital.
“Our task in Libya is providing military training, cooperation and consultancy. We try to contribute to our Libyan brothers in these areas as much as we can,” he said.
Last November, Turkey and Libya signed landmark pacts on military cooperation as well as boundaries in the Mediterranean.
Under the deal, Turkey has sent advisers to help the forces aligned with the GNA defeat Libyan National Army (LNA) forces led by Khalifa Haftar.
With regard to the recent tensions with France over Turkey’s harassment of a French vessel in the Mediterranean, Akar said “these are plots pursuing some political, not military interests”, and said that France should apologize to Turkey.
France last week claimed that Turkey harassed one of its vessels taking part in a NATO mission in the Mediterranean.
Turkey’s military and technological support for Sarraj’s government as well as the deployment of thousands of Syrian mercenaries has contributed to prolonging the Libyan crisis and fueled the conflict between the GNA and the LNA.
Franco-Turkish relations soured further the following week, when French President Emmanuel Macron told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he was playing a “dangerous game” in sending arms, aerial support and allied fighters from Syria to boost the GNA – warning that France “won’t tolerate” such actions.