Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Greece will not succeed in canceling the maritime border demarcation agreement that his country signed with the Government of National Accord in Libya in 2019, stressing the importance of the sovereignty and independence of this country.
Akar stressed that Turkey respects the sovereignty of neighboring countries, but at the same time it will not allow its rights to be infringed, and will not yield to the de facto situation, according to him.
Akar's statements came during his visit to Libya as part of a delegation that included Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Head of the Intelligence Service Hakan Fidan, and Chief of Staff Yasar Guler.
While meeting with Turkish soldiers working in Libya at an event attended by Libyan military leaders headed by Chief of Staff Mohamed Al-Haddad, Akar confirmed today, Tuesday, that the presence of Turkish soldiers in Libya came in order to protect the rights and interests of Libyans and help them, stressing the importance of the sovereignty and independence of Libya.
He pointed out that Turkey and Libya share a common history and values, saying, "Therefore, the presence of Turkish soldiers in Libya comes from protecting the rights and laws of their brothers and helping them."
He added, "The sovereignty and independence of Libya is important. There were a set of problems upon our arrival, and we made every effort day and night, land, air and sea to eliminate these problems."
He continued, "We got important results, and Turkey and its Libyan brothers continue to work side by side to modernize and organize the Libyan armed forces."
He pointed out that the information and experiences of the Chief of Staff Al-Haddad, the Commander of the Western Military Region, Osama Jouili, and the Commander of the Tripoli Region, Abd al-Baqi Marwan, have greatly contributed to the success of the operations in Libya.
Peace and dialogue
Akar stressed that the important thing now is to establish peace and tranquility in Libya, and the continuation of the ceasefire.
He explained that the Turkish presence in Libya is very important in terms of protecting its interests and rights in the eastern Mediterranean, and that Ankara continues its activities in the eastern Mediterranean, including the Maritime Authority Zones Agreement with Libya.
The Turkish minister stressed that Greece's efforts to nullify this agreement are futile, and that his country supports solving problems by peaceful means, dialogue, good neighborliness and international law.
Turkey had deployed forces in Libya to support the former Government of National Accord in its fight against the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar, and the two countries concluded two notes, one security and the other related to the demarcation of the maritime borders in November 2019.