Zaher Albik-Ankara
The Turkish envoy to Libya, Omer Eshler, affirmed his country's intention to send military forces to Tripoli based on the mandate of Parliament, in order to support the legitimate government in confronting the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter, and to train Libyan army personnel, preserve the unity of Libya, and end the ongoing civil war there.
In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, Eshler, who is a Turkish parliament member and a former deputy prime minister, said that the memo approved by Parliament allows Ankara to deploy military forces off the Libyan coast, adding that his country is ready to exercise its rights in the eastern Mediterranean, and block the "Greek-Israeli Cypriot" tube in If you do not negotiate with it.
Regarding accusing Turkey of sending Syrian fighters to Libya to fight alongside the Al-Wefaq government, he said, "Turkey decides itself, and if it is necessary to cooperate with non-Turkish fighters, it will cooperate with Libyan fighters."
Following is the text of the interview:
In an emergency session of the parliament, you discussed a request to authorize the dispatch of Turkish forces to Libya .. What is the size and nature of the forces and equipment that you will send to Libya, will they be combat or support and training? Are you thinking about establishing a military base there?
In fact, the Turkish army began preparing before the parliament discussed the presidential mandate memo in order to send forces to Libya, because we expected to collect more than half of the votes of deputies required to ratify the memo, and now after the parliament’s approval, the decision will become effective, and during the coming days the first batch of our forces will arrive in Tripoli To support the legitimate government in the face of the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter. In the event that our forces come under attack from Haftar's forces, the Turkish forces will respond with massive and uncompromising military force.
Our goal is to deter Haftar and those behind him until they stop their attacks against the Libyan West, and thus the bloodshed stops. We also aim to train the military and security services of the Al-Wefaq government, and I expect to receive Libyan soldiers at military bases in Turkey during the coming period to train them based on the military cooperation agreement. With regard to the establishment of a Turkish military base in Libya similar to the Turkish military bases in Qatar and Somalia, this matter is subject to the request of the Al-Wefaq government in Tripoli.
What are the implications of this step for the relationship with Russia and the parties involved in supporting Haftar?
We understand Russia’s will to be a major player in Libya, knowing that Haftar is the one who brought Russian mercenaries to Libya and who allowed their deployment in the Libyan territories. However, our political and diplomatic relations with Russia continue, as Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey within days and will meet President Erdogan And they will discuss the Libyan crisis.
This meeting will be historic because we will present our vision to find a political solution to the Libyan crisis directly to President Putin, and we expect his response to our vision. We are not only calling for Russia, but we are calling on France and other countries to accelerate the political solution of the Libyan crisis. There is no benefit from the continuation of the war in the Libyan territories, because the victim is the Libyan people.
The Arab League Council held an emergency meeting last Tuesday to discuss developments in the situation in Libya, so what is your position on Arab countries that oppose your military presence in Libya?
Libya's delegate at this meeting delivered a speech and summarized the situation in his country, and accused Arab countries, especially the UAE and Egypt - who called for the meeting and which embraces the Arab League - to support the criminal Haftar, and to stand behind the chaos in his country, referring to the duplication of Arab countries as requested by the Arab League to punish countries Supporting a hole.
We in Turkey support the word delegate of Libya, but we also support the call for a political solution that was mentioned in the Arab League resolution. Although the university is ink on paper that has no effect, the Arab countries that make these decisions do not implement them. And the government of national reconciliation not only extended an invitation to Turkey, but also extended an invitation to America, Britain, Algeria and Italy, in addition to Turkey, the only one that met the Libyan request. And I confirm that Turkey is not an interfering force in Libya. Rather, we have responded to the legitimate national reconciliation government’s call for intervention.
How do you explain Cairo's anger at the border demarcation agreement between Turkey and Libya, even though it gives Egypt new areas of its control over the waters of the Mediterranean?
This agreement is in favor of Libya, in the interest of Turkey, and in the interest of Egypt as well. Initially, Egypt declared that it is against the agreement, and after that, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, stated that this agreement is not against their interests. And if Egypt accepts to sign such an agreement with us, it will gain much more spaces, and we have tried hard since the days of Hosni Mubarak to sign such agreements with Egypt, but the Egyptians unfortunately did not sign with us.
The Cairo announcement, finally, its anger at this agreement is for the sake of violation only, even though it serves its interests. Unfortunately, the military regime in Egypt is ready for its state to lose its interests in return for violating and opposing Turkey.
Turkey has studied international law, the law relating to the seas and the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice. When we found international law in our favor and allowed us to do so, we signed this agreement with Libya, but we also announced that we are open to negotiations with other countries.
With this step, Turkey preserved its rights in the Mediterranean, as well as the rights of Turks in Northern Cyprus, but Turkey is open to sitting with neighboring countries in the Mediterranean basin with the exception of Southern Cyprus because we do not recognize them.
Israel has opposed the border demarcation agreement between Turkey and Libya. Will you enter into a confrontation with it? How will Turkey hinder Israel's efforts to exploit the gas extracted from the Mediterranean Sea?
Israel has the right to object to such an agreement, but international law is in our favor, and I rule out any Israeli adventure in confronting us in the Mediterranean. Through this agreement, Turkey will not allow the theft of its rights, gas and oil in the Mediterranean.
And we have drawn the continental shelf between Turkey and Libya, according to which it is impossible to pass the pipes from under this region without the permission of Libya or Turkey. The memorandum approved by the Turkish parliament allows Ankara to deploy military forces off the Libyan coast, an important region of the eastern Mediterranean, and my country is ready to exercise its rights in the eastern Mediterranean and obstruct the Greek-Cypriot-Israeli pipeline if it is not negotiated with us.
But will you give Israel permission if I ask you to do so?
This decision is being studied then, and we want a comprehensive and just solution in the Mediterranean, especially in the east, and in order to reach a solution, there must be understanding and negotiation between Turkey and other countries.
How do you respond to your accusation of sending Syrian fighters to Libya to fight with the Al-Wefaq government?
Turkey decides itself, and if necessary, to cooperate with non-Turkish fighters, we will cooperate with Libyan fighters.
Do you support a settlement of the conflict in Libya between the forces of Haftar and the government of reconciliation?
We supported political solutions before and during the Skhirat Agreement, and after that we supported the legitimacy and played a positive role to support the National Accord government.
Do you communicate with some Libyan politicians in Tobruk?
Before the brutal attack on Tripoli, there were constant meetings and contacts with some politicians in the Libyan East, and as a Turkish envoy, I visited the Libyan East several times, and even after the attack on Tripoli, some contacts continued.
But it seems that the politicians there have nothing of their own, because Haftar is the one who controls the Libyan east, and he is a war criminal, and therefore those in the eastern region are afraid of him and he killed those who opposed him before.
And I say that Turkey is trying to establish a democratic system in Libya, based on our historical relations and closeness with our Libyan brothers.