Turkish president says discussed Libya ceasefire with Tunisian counterpart

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has discussed with his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied possible steps and cooperation to establish a ceasefire in Libya.

In a news conference alongside Saied, Erdogan said he believed Tunisia would have “valuable and constructive” contributions to establishing stability in Libya, and added that a ceasefire must be established as soon as possible.

President Erdogan arrived in Tunisia on Wednesday in a surprise visit for talks with his Tunisian counterpart, his office said, in the first visit by a head of state since Tunisian presidential elections in the autumn.

In a statement, Erdogan's office earlier said he was accompanied by his foreign and defence ministers, as well as his intelligence chief. It provided no further details on the content or purpose of the talks.

The visit is the first by a head of state to Tunisia since the election of President Saied in October, after Tunisian parliamentary elections.

As part of its expanded cooperation with Tunisia's neighbor Libya, Ankara also signed a military-cooperation deal with Fayez al-Serraj's Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).

Turkey's parliament ratifies security accord with Libya: Report

Turkey

Erdogan has said Turkey may deploy troops in support of the GNA, which has been fighting off a months-long offensive by Khalifa Haftar's forces to the east of the country.

On Tuesday, Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey may need to draft a bill to send troops into Libya and added the parliament was currently working on it. Ankara's possible deployment into Libya has also alarmed Russia, which said it was very concerned by such a prospect.

Turkey has already sent military supplies to the GNA despite a United Nations arms embargo, according to a UN report seen by Reuters last month.

The visit also comes as Turkey has ramped up efforts to strike deals with nations on the Mediterranean, where Ankara has been at odds with Greece over resources off the coast of the divided island of Cyprus.

Last month's maritime delimitation agreement between Turkey and Libya's internationally recognized government also enraged Greece. Athens says the deal violates international law, but Ankara says it aims to protect its rights in the region and is in full compliance with maritime laws.

The agreement claimed extensive areas of the sea for Turkey, undercutting claims by Greece and the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, which runs the southern part of the island.

Greece has slammed the deal as an “infringement on its sovereignty” that could complicate Athens’ decades-old disputes with Ankara over Cyprus and maritime rights in the Aegean Sea. 

Cyprus has been divided since Turkish troops invaded the northern third of the island in 1974 in response to a coup sponsored by the Greek military junta.

Ankara does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, and says The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)  has the right to explore around the entire island.

(Source: Agencies)

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