The defense ministers of Turkey and Italy discussed regional issues, chief among them crises in Syria and Libya, while retired Major General Khalifa Hifter praised the bias of the UAE and Egypt for his forces, and their rejection of what he described as Turkish intervention.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed in a press conference with his Italian counterpart, Lorenzo Guerrini, on Tuesday in Ankara; Cooperation between the two countries will be of benefit to the whole region.
"We are talking about two big and important countries in the Mediterranean, Turkey and Italy, and I assure that effective cooperation between these two countries in all fields - first and foremost cooperation in the defense and security fields - will have a great benefit not only for the two countries, but for the whole region," Akar said. .
"We have noticed a convergence of views on a wide range of issues, and I can say that it is very useful for our countries, for the region, for NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and for the European Union to develop our bilateral relations," he added.
For his part, Guereni said that he agreed with his Turkish counterpart on the need to find a political solution to bring peace to Libya, stressing the need to work together to achieve the return of stability to the Mediterranean.
He said in the press conference, "We exchanged views, especially on the Libyan issue, and we agreed on the need to find a political solution to bring peace to Libya, as we discussed our vision and responsibilities on the issue of the Eastern Mediterranean, and everyone should work together, and join hands to restore stability to the Mediterranean."
During a conference held last month with his Italian counterpart Luigi de Mayo in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoغلlu criticized the European naval "Ireni" operation to monitor the implementation of the UN arms embargo to Libya, which is based in Rome and strongly supported by Italy.
Hifter denounces
In this context, retired Major General Khalifa Hifter said that he refuses to use acceptance to respond to the international demands regarding the political settlement to bring more weapons to enhance the capabilities of the Al-Wefaq government forces, stressing that what he described as "the Turkish invasion of Libya" endangers regional and international peace and security.
He praised - in a speech on the occasion of the graduation of two batches of students from the military and naval colleges (east of Benghazi) - the "bias" of the UAE and Egypt to his forces, and their rejection of Turkish intervention, as he put it.
On the other hand, the Minister of Interior in the Al-Wefaq government, Fathi Pashaga, announced the arrest of an ISIS operative in the Abu Qurain area (east of Misrata) last week.
He added in a tweet that two days ago, the security forces of the Ministry of Interior arrested a cell in the city of Zawiya (west of Tripoli) that was planning to carry out terrorist operations.
Pashaga stressed that he is working hard to eradicate terrorism from Libya, because it poses risks to the security and prosperity of Libya and its people.