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In its delusional pursuit of regional influence, Turkey has been antagonising most of its Arab neighbours. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s adventurism, aimed at achieving that unrealistic goal, is increasingly leading to further isolation of Ankara.
Turkey’s military intervention in Libya is just the latest example of its miscalculated and often bizarre foreign policies. There is no logical reason for Ankara to intervene in the Libyan crisis.
Yet, Erdogan has decided to send Turkish troops, Syrian mercenaries, heavy weapons, and military aircraft and ships to support the Islamist-controlled government of Fayez Al Sarraj, in a blatant breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions and the decisions of the Berlin Conference on Libya.
As the world’s attention is mainly focused on combating the coronavirus pandemic, Erdogan thinks he can get away with this reckless behaviour in Libya. But what is at stake in Libya is the world peace and stability. The Libyan shores are just few miles away from Europe
The conference, held in Germany in January 2020, called on all countries to “refrain from interference in the armed conflict or in the internal affairs of Libya”.
Turkey, one of the conference signatories, has since intensified its intervention in Libya, particularly following the advances of the Libyan National Army, which is intent on uprooting the Sarraj militia-backed government from Tripoli.
The LNA’s plan is to unite Libya and rid the country of the terror groups that dominate the Sarraj government and control some of the country’s energy resources.
Libyan sovereignty
The Arab League recently called on Turkey to get out of Libya, so did the UN and many other countries. But Turkey’s violation of the Libyan sovereignty and territorial integrity continues, leading to tension with the Arab world.
The latest country to condemn the Turkish aggression on Libya is the UAE. “The deployment of Turkish troops to Libya is a clear breach of international resolutions on Libya, specifically Security Council Resolution No. 1979 for 2011 under which a Sanctions Committee was established to oversee arms embargo imposed on Libya.
The resolution also bans military cooperation with Libya, except with the approval of the Sanctions Committee,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement.
The UAE warned that the Turkish actions threaten all efforts to restore stability and peace in Libya and “pose a clear threat to Arab national security and stability in the Mediterranean region”.
As the world’s attention is mainly focused on combating the coronavirus pandemic, Erdogan thinks he can get away with this reckless behaviour in Libya.
But what is at stake in Libya is the world peace and stability. The Libyan shores are just few miles away from Europe.
Libya is also a major energy producer. Therefore, the international community must not tolerate Turkeys’ bullying actions in Libya.
