Turkey Vows to Continue Support for Libya’s GNA

Turkey's Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar is seen during the EFES-2018 Military Exercise near the Aegean port city of Izmir, Turkey May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
Turkey's Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar is seen during the EFES-2018 Military Exercise near the Aegean port city of Izmir, Turkey May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
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Turkey Vows to Continue Support for Libya’s GNA

Turkey's Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar is seen during the EFES-2018 Military Exercise near the Aegean port city of Izmir, Turkey May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
Turkey's Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar is seen during the EFES-2018 Military Exercise near the Aegean port city of Izmir, Turkey May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Turkey reaffirmed that it will continue to provide the forces of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) with military and security training and consultation.

Turkey threw its support behind the GNA on November 27, 2019, after signing a military cooperation pact alongside a maritime demarcation deal. This gave Ankara exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean, that Greece and other countries reject.

Ankara also noted that it will carry on consultations with Moscow about Libya.

The Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, held a meeting in Ankara with his newly-appointed Libyan counterpart, Salah Al-Din Al-Namroush. They discussed the latest developments in the country.

Akar confirmed that Ankara continues to provide training and advisory services in Libya.

During the talks, Akar also stated that Turkey will always support the UN-recognized GNA in its ongoing conflict against the Libyan National Army (LNA). This support is in order to achieve permanent security and stability in the country.

Akar stressed the struggle of the Turkish nation to maintain its independence, sovereignty, as well as protecting its interests.

It is worth noting that Ankara also backs the GNA by providing arms and mercenaries to fight along with their forces against the Libyan National Army (LNA). Accounts of Syrian mercenaries traveling to Libya through Turkey have been documented.

Furthermore, the GNA had sent military cadets to Turkey to wrap up their military studies.

In other news, during delegation talks in Moscow, Turkey and Russia agreed on the need for a political solution to the Libyan conflict.

“During the negotiations, our part highlighted the importance of Sirte and al-Jufra for a sustainable and lasting ceasefire in Libya. We accentuated the need to determine the modalities to clear these regions of military forces and declared in this manner support for the 5+5 military committee between Libyans under the auspices of the UN,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The need for a comprehensive dialogue among the Libyan parties and for the implementation of the Berlin conference decisions were underlined, the statement added.

It also indicated that Turkey and Russia would continue to work toward a political solution to the Libyan civil war.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, accompanied by an interagency delegation, was in Moscow on Monday and Tuesday to discuss regional developments, in particular Libya and Syria, with Russian counterparts.

Turkey and Russia launched an initiative in Istanbul on Jan 8 to de-escalate the situation on the ground and pave the way for a political process in Libya.



UK Plans to Recognize Palestinian State in September Unless Israel Takes Action

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump (not pictured) hold a bilateral meeting at Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump (not pictured) hold a bilateral meeting at Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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UK Plans to Recognize Palestinian State in September Unless Israel Takes Action

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump (not pictured) hold a bilateral meeting at Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump (not pictured) hold a bilateral meeting at Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday Britain was prepared to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly unless Israel takes a number of steps to improve life for Palestinians. 

Britain, if it acts, would become the second Western power on the UN Security Council to do so after France last week, reflecting Israel's deepening isolation over its conduct in its war against Hamas in Gaza, where a humanitarian disaster has set in and the Palestinian death toll has risen above 60,000. 

Starmer said Britain would make the move unless Israel took substantive steps to allow more aid to enter Gaza, made clear there will be no annexation of the West Bank and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a "two-state solution" - a Palestinian state coexisting in peace alongside Israel. 

"The Palestinian people have endured terrible suffering," Starmer told reporters. "Now, in Gaza, because of a catastrophic failure of aid, we see starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime. The suffering must end." 

Starmer said his government would make an assessment in September on "how far the parties have met these steps", but that no one would have a veto over the decision. 

He took the decision after recalling his cabinet during the summer holidays on Tuesday to discuss a new proposed peace plan being worked on with other European leaders and how to deliver more humanitarian aid for Gaza's 2.2 million people. 

Successive British governments have said they will formally recognize a Palestinian state when the time is right, without ever setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions. 

With warnings from international aid agencies that people in Gaza are facing starvation, a growing number of lawmakers in Starmer's Labor Party have been asking him to recognize a Palestinian state to raise pressure on Israel. 

The issue came to the fore after President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognize Palestine as a state in territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. 

Israel and staunch supporter the United States blasted France's move, branding it a reward for Palestinian Hamas fighters who ran Gaza and whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 triggered the current war. 

At the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, when Starmer was the opposition leader, he fully backed Israel's right to defend itself. But his stance has shifted over the years to a tougher approach to Israel, especially since his election as prime minister just over a year ago. 

His government dropped the previous government’s challenge over arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and has suspended some weapon sales to Israel. 

Last month, Britain sanctioned two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians.