Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al Sarraj in Ankara was held on Thursday afternoon.
In remarks after the meeting, Erdogan turned his back again on Khalifa Haftar and expressed his support to Sarraj.
“Once again, we prove the close relations between Turkey and Libya. We are not leaving Libya alone in these difficult days. We will never abandon our Libyan brothers at the mercy of the coup plotters and mercenaries. My meeting with Sarraj was about our contribution to peace in the Libyan region, which needs to be stabilized as soon as possible and the well-being of its citizens. From the Berlin process to NATO, we will work together with the Sarraj government on all international fora”, Erdogan said.
The Turkish president then spoke out against Haftar, saying: “The solution can only be found through the Libyans and under the auspices of the United Nations. I repeat: Haftar is a coup leader and there are leaders of states who claim that it is not possible to put him aside. We remind them that a person who is not interested in the problems of his people cannot sit at the same table with us to negotiate. He recently rejected the political agreement on Libya and showed his true face by announcing that he had taken over the country’s leadership. Stability in Libya will benefit neighbors and Europe. We call on all international and regional players to take the necessary steps. They must not allow the illegal sale of Libyan oil”.
Erdogan also referred to drilling. “We have agreed with Libya to expand our cooperation in the area of responsibility, in areas such as seismic surveys and drilling, to take advantage of the natural wealth of the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey will continue to stand by those who are right”, he said.
