Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the information and operational support provided by the Turkish intelligence service in Libya changed the rules of the game.
Erdogan added, in a speech delivered when he opened a building for the Turkish intelligence service in Istanbul, that this support provided by the intelligence "stopped the progress of the revolutionary Haftar who adopted the military methods instead of the political solution in Libya," in reference to the retired Major General Khalifa Haftar.
Ankara supports the internationally recognized Libyan reconciliation government, and in recent months it has helped it regain control of the entire boundaries of the capital, Tripoli, and expel Haftar forces backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia from the Libyan West.
The Turkish president considered that, thanks to the growing influence of foreign intelligence, his country began to occupy its place in all forums as a regional and global power, as he put it.
He added that "the gains we have made in conflict areas enhance our strength at the negotiating table and give us the power to defend the interests of our people."
Erdogan pointed out that Turkish intelligence managed to bring more than 100 people accused of belonging to the Fatah Allah Gulen group to Turkey. Ankara considers this group a terrorist organization and accuses it of masterminding and carrying out the coup attempt in July 2016.