Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to continue supporting the Libyan National Accord government, and has talked about the possibility of excluding retired Major General Khalifa Hifter from the scene, and that he and his US counterpart Donald Trump discussed accelerating developments in Libya.
The Turkish presidency said in a statement that Erdogan and Trump discussed during a telephone conversation today, Monday, the developments in the region, particularly the situation in Libya, efforts to combat the Coruna virus, in addition to bilateral relations.
The statement stated that the two Presidents agreed to continue cooperating to achieve peace in Libya, and Erdogan was quoted as saying that he informed Trump that Turkey is the supporter of the legitimate body in Libya recognized by the United Nations, and was also quoted as saying that Ankara continues to support legitimacy without looking at who is behind Haftar .
President Erdogan said that Trump assured him during the call that Turkey had achieved successes in Libya.
In a television interview, the Turkish president considered that the extension of the Libyan reconciliation government to control important areas in Libya disturbed Haftar, who derives his strength from Russia, and said that the goal now is to control the city of Sirte (450 east of Tripoli) and the surrounding areas.
In the television interview, Erdogan announced that he will discuss the Libyan file with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the coming period.
For his part, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Qalin said in an interview with "Malt" newspaper that Turkey may expand its cooperation with the internationally recognized Libyan government with new deals in the energy and construction sectors once the conflict in the country ends.