A spokesman for the Government of National Accord (GNA), Mohammad Qanunu, stated that military training exercises with Turkey would continue despite the recently signed Geneva ceasefire agreement, which calls for the suspension of all military agreements in Libya.
“We will continue our path based on professionalism and legitimacy, with the aim of protecting the February 17 revolution and the concept of a constitutional civil state”, Qanunu told Anadolu Agency on Saturday.
He pointed out that the GNA received the support of the Turkish government through what he described as “international agreements”.
On Saturday, the first group of the GNA’s special forces trained by Turkey graduated. A graduation ceremony was held for the special forces at the Omar Al-Mukhtar training centre near Tripoli.
The military students completed eight weeks of training provided by the Turkish Armed Forces “in order to raise the Libyan Army to international standards”, the GNA’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.
In 2019, Turkey signed security and military agreements with Libya’s GNA, including a memorandum of understanding on maritime borders. Several countries, including Egypt and Greece, consider these agreements a violation of international law.