Libyan-Turkish memoranda of understanding .. Ankara confirms its enforcement and the reconciliation government rejects Egypt's objections

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Libyan National Accord announced that the Libyan mission to the United Nations in New York confirmed in a letter to the UN Security Council that what was reported by the delegate of Egypt regarding the memoranda of understanding that the government signed with Turkey last month is interference in the Libyan internal affairs.

The ministry said that the Libyan mission informed the Security Council that Libya has the right to conclude agreements and understandings with any country of the world, a right guaranteed by international law.

In its communication to the Security Council, the mission added that what was agreed with Turkey does not contradict the Libyan political agreement and does not require ratification by the legislative authorities.

It stated that the countries that support retired Major General Khalifa Haftar with arms or by dealing with it violate Security Council resolutions.

In the same context, the Turkish presidency stressed that the reactions received regarding the memorandum of understanding signed with Libya regarding the determination of maritime jurisdiction areas will not prevent Ankara from implementing its policy in the eastern Mediterranean.

This came in an article published by the head of the communication department in the Turkish presidency Fakhruddin Alton under the title "Turkish and Libyan Memorandum of Understanding Documenting the sovereign rights of our country" on the blogging platform "Mdeom" today, Saturday.

Alton pointed out that his country, by signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the internationally recognized Libyan National Accord government, showed that it would not allow the imposition of the fait accompli in the Eastern Mediterranean, and that it is an important player in the region that cannot be overlooked.

He said, "It is known that Roman Cyprus, Egypt, Greece and Israel are upset with Turkey's policy in the eastern Mediterranean."

On November 27, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President of the Presidential Council of the Libyan Accord Government, Fayez al-Sarraj, signed two memoranda of understanding related to security and military cooperation and the determination of maritime spheres of influence, to protect the rights of the two countries stemming from international law.

On Friday, Egyptian media reported that Cairo sent a letter to the UN Security Council in which it considered that the recent Libyan-Turkish agreement violated the Skhirat political agreement, and requires approval by the House of Representatives (held in Tobruk and the pro-Hifter).

The Skhirat agreement was signed under UN auspices in the Moroccan city of Skhirat on December 17, 2015 to end the conflict in the country, and the agreement resulted from the reconciliation government, which the international community declared recognized as the sole legitimate representative of Libya.

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

Recently, the Egyptian parliament said that it considered the anti-government parliament of Tobruk as the legitimate representative of the Libyans, amid support from Cairo for the successor of Haftar, whom it considers the Libyan army commander.

Last week, the Libyan embassy in Cairo announced that it was suspending its work for security reasons until further notice.