Turkey’s Defense Minister: We are not a foreign power in Libya

Turkey’s Defense Minister: We are not a foreign power in Libya
Publish:
Update: 04 October 2022 13:17
A+ A-
“Libya-Turkey relations go back 500 years in history. Libya's territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence, unity and stability are really important to us,” Hulusi Akar said

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) is "not a foreign power" in Libya, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said during his meeting with Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity in Tripoli, the capital of Libya

“Libya-Turkey relations go back 500 years in history. Libya's territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence, unity and stability are really important to us,” Akar said.

Akar was in Tripoli as part of a wider Turkish delegation that went to Libya to sign a new memorandum of understanding with the Tripoli government. 

"We say that Libya belongs to the Libyans. We want unity and cooperation in everything, we want cooperation. We work for you, we are here for you. Other than that, we cannot have any agenda," Akar said. 

Libya's worst fighting for two years recently hit the capital Tripoli where Turkey retains a military presence including armed drones that could play a critical role in deciding the outcome of any major bout of warfare between the forces of Dbeibah and  his rival Fathi Bashagha, the former interior minister  who has been appointed by the eastern-based parliament to head a new government.

Akar reminded that the TSK continues its training in 5 centers in Libya, and said these trainings "invested in the future for the security of the Libyans."