Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed his country's readiness to send military forces to Libya if requested by the legitimate Libyan government in Tripoli, stressing that he would discuss with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the issue of Moscow's support for the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Hifter.
Erdogan said in an interview with the official TV "TRT" in Istanbul, that Turkey used its right stemming from international law in relation to the marine memorandum of understanding signed with Libya, adding that Turkey and Libya could carry out joint exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean.
He added that he had expressed to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that Ankara was ready to open channels of dialogue, although he said that expelling Greece, the Libyan ambassador, is an international scandal, and Athens will pay the price of its actions on the international scene.
Erdogan stressed that the agreement signed with the internationally recognized Libyan government preserves the rights of the two countries and its text has been sent to the United Nations.