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DPA
Istanbul
Turkey will retaliate against the forces of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar should Turkish missions in the civil war-torn country be hit, the ruling party’s spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“We openly declare that we will consider Haftar’s forces as legitimate targets in case our missions are targeted in any way,” Omer Celik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), told a press conference in Ankara.
Haftar’s forces in eastern Libya, supported by Egypt, Russia and the UAE, have been fighting to topple the UN-backed Libyan government in Tripoli, which is backed by Turkey and Qatar.
Turkey’s warning comes two days after Ankara charged that Haftar’s forces fired shells that landed near diplomatic missions, including the Turkish embassy in Tripoli.
Turkey has signed a maritime deal with the Tripoli government and has also sent military training personnel and equipment to help the fight against Haftar.
Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece and the United Arab Emirates condemned Turkey’s military activities in Libya, as well as its gas-drilling off Cyprus, as “illegal,” following a video conference of foreign ministers late on Monday.
Turkey on Tuesday dismissed the five nations’ declaration, which condemned Turkey for seeking “regional chaos and instability,” thus escalating a diplomatic row.
The five foreign ministers “strongly condemned Turkey’s military interference in Libya, and urged Turkey to fully respect the UN arms embargo,” the joint declaration read, warning against “a threat to the stability of Libya’s neighbours in Africa as well as in Europe.”
Istanbul
Turkey will retaliate against the forces of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar should Turkish missions in the civil war-torn country be hit, the ruling party’s spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“We openly declare that we will consider Haftar’s forces as legitimate targets in case our missions are targeted in any way,” Omer Celik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), told a press conference in Ankara.
Haftar’s forces in eastern Libya, supported by Egypt, Russia and the UAE, have been fighting to topple the UN-backed Libyan government in Tripoli, which is backed by Turkey and Qatar.
Turkey’s warning comes two days after Ankara charged that Haftar’s forces fired shells that landed near diplomatic missions, including the Turkish embassy in Tripoli.
Turkey has signed a maritime deal with the Tripoli government and has also sent military training personnel and equipment to help the fight against Haftar.
Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece and the United Arab Emirates condemned Turkey’s military activities in Libya, as well as its gas-drilling off Cyprus, as “illegal,” following a video conference of foreign ministers late on Monday.
Turkey on Tuesday dismissed the five nations’ declaration, which condemned Turkey for seeking “regional chaos and instability,” thus escalating a diplomatic row.
The five foreign ministers “strongly condemned Turkey’s military interference in Libya, and urged Turkey to fully respect the UN arms embargo,” the joint declaration read, warning against “a threat to the stability of Libya’s neighbours in Africa as well as in Europe.”
