Al-Sisi: We will not allow control of Libya .. The Libyan Foreign Ministry talks about a "political teenager"

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi confirmed that his country "will not allow anyone to control Libya", while the Libyan Foreign Ministry denounced the statements of its Egyptian counterpart regarding the presidential council of the internationally recognized national reconciliation government, calling it "political adolescence."

"We will not allow anyone to believe that they can control Libya and Sudan, and we will not allow anyone to control them," Sisi told Egyptian government and private newspapers published on Tuesday.

He added that it was "an issue at the core of Egyptian national security," noting that Sudan and Libya are direct "neighbors" to Egypt.

Al-Sisi added, "We cannot accept the establishment of a state in Libya for militias, armed, terrorist and extremist groups."

The Egyptian President stressed in an unequivocal tone that his country "will not abandon the Libyan National Army" led by retired Major General Khalifa Hifter, who Thursday launched what he called "the decisive battle" to control Tripoli, the stronghold of the reconciliation government led by Faiz al-Sarraj and recognized by the international community.

Since April, Haftar's forces have launched an offensive to take over Tripoli.

Sisi’s comments came the day after a meeting in Istanbul between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and al-Sarraj was the second in three weeks. It also came days after Erdogan’s signal to send Turkish troops to Libya to support him.

Erdogan and al-Sarraj met on November 27 in Istanbul, where they signed an agreement that sets out the controversial maritime borders, and signed a security cooperation agreement that would allow Turkey to provide military assistance to the Libyan government.

In another indication of the rapprochement between Turkey and the Libyan Al-Wefaq government, Ankara announced that it would allow Libyans under 16 and over fifty-five to enter its territories without a visa.

Political teenager
On the other hand, the Libyan Foreign Ministry condemned - on Tuesday - statements to its Egyptian counterpart on the presidential council of the Al-Wefaq government, describing it as "political adolescence."

Earlier Tuesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman tweeted, Ambassador Ahmed Hafez, saying, "Who is the Libyan Presidential Council that issued a statement today dealing with Egypt?" And he answered, "What we do know is that this council consists of nine people ... Where are these now?" .

The Libyan Foreign Ministry responded via its Twitter account, saying, "What the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman declares is not related to diplomatic work, and his talk about the presidential council is a kind of diplomatic adolescence."

On Monday, the Presidential Council of the Al-Wefaq government rejected, in a statement, any threat to national sovereignty, calling on the Egyptian authorities to play a positive role that reflects the depth of historical relations between the two brotherly countries.

And on Sunday, the Egyptian president accused the Al-Wefaq government of being "stolen by the will and a prisoner of terrorist militia."

Recently, the Egyptian parliament said that it considered the anti-government parliament of Tobruk as the legitimate representative of the Libyans, amid well-known support from Cairo for retired Major General Khalifa Hifter.

This comes two days after the Libyan embassy in Cairo announced the suspension of work due to security conditions until further notice.

Italy and America
On the other hand, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi de Mayo said during his meeting in Tripoli, President of the Presidential Council of the Al-Wefaq Government, Fayez al-Sarraj, that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis, and that his country supports the efforts of the UN envoy Ghassan Salameh to return to the political track in order to resolve the crisis.

For his part, Al-Sarraj stressed the need to invite all concerned countries to the Berlin conference to be held to discuss the Libyan crisis without excluding any party.

He added that the positions of the Al-Wefaq government and its handling of the situation domestically and internationally come within the framework of national constants, led by the unity of Libyan soil and the strengthening of national sovereignty, he said.

In return, US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland criticized what he called the increased Russian support for the attack by Haftar's forces to take control of Tripoli, saying that it had led to an increase in civilian casualties.

The US ambassador added - in statements after a meeting on reforming the Libyan economy in Tunisia - that Washington is watching the escalation with great concern after the Russian intervention in the conflict.

Norland considered that even if a military solution was found, its cost would be heavy for civilian lives, which he described as an expensive victory.