‘Turkey key to Libya peace with efforts in field, diplomacy’

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - With its efforts in field and diplomatic area, Turkey has assumed the key role to bring peace to Libya, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

“We highlighted in every occasion that a permanent political solution in Libya can be ensured via dialogue … We cemented our cooperation with the legitimate Libyan government via two memorandum of understandings signed end-2019.

“Turkey has become a key to peace in Libya with its efforts both in field and diplomacy,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.

His remarks came before leaving Ataturk Airport for Germany to attend international Berlin conference on Libya peace.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will co-host the Berlin conference, which will seek a stronger commitment from the world powers and regional actors to non-interference in Libya, to genuinely support the cease-fire and adhere to the UN’s arms embargo.

Erdogan also criticized international community for not showing the necessary reaction against “reckless attacks of Haftar.”

“Actions of putschist [Khalifa] Haftar and his supporters, which has openly been violating UN Security Council resolutions, has long been ignored,” Erdogan said.

However, Turkey has maintained a principled and consistent stance against the crisis in Libya since the first day it started, the president said.

Along with Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French leader Emmanuel Macron, British PM Boris Johnson, Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed their attendance.

The German government also announced that both Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and the eastern-based commander Haftar accepted invitations for the conference.

Top officials from Egypt and UAE, main supporters of the Libyan warlord Haftar, will also take part in the conference.