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Turkey, NATO, US Hold Tripartite Meeting to Discuss Libya Developments

Turkey has reportedly sent fighters from Syria to Libya. (Reuters)
Turkey has reportedly sent fighters from Syria to Libya. (Reuters)
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Turkey, NATO, US Hold Tripartite Meeting to Discuss Libya Developments

Turkey has reportedly sent fighters from Syria to Libya. (Reuters)
Turkey has reportedly sent fighters from Syria to Libya. (Reuters)

Turkey, NATO, and US officials held a tripartite meeting on Tuesday to discuss the recent developments in Libya.

The Turkish Defense Ministry revealed in a statement on Twitter that Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met with Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Adm. Robert Burke, and US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield in the presence of Commander of Naval Forces Admiral Adnan Ozbal in Istanbul.

According to media reports, the three-hour meeting focused on Turkey’s military role in Libya under the support of NATO and the US.

The officials also discussed transferring part of Misrata Port to a logistics base under the Turkish Naval Forces' supervision, with symbolic participation of the US, Germany, and Italy.

They further touched on expanding the Turkish military training of the Libyan forces.

Previous reports claimed that Turkey and the US agreed to allow Ankara to deploy aerial surveillance drones, in coordination with NATO, to monitor any military movements, namely by the Russian Wagner group.

The deal further states that Turkey shall withdraw its Syrian mercenaries from Libya within four weeks, as of the beginning of April. Turkey has not shown any commitment in this regard so far.

Reports also revealed that Washington didn’t express objection to the presence of military advisors and Turkish forces in Libya.

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Chinese Vessels Collide While Pursuing Philippine Boat in South China Sea

This screen grab released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the Monday incident between a Chinese Navy vessel (L) and a China Coast Guard ship. Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP
This screen grab released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the Monday incident between a Chinese Navy vessel (L) and a China Coast Guard ship. Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP
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Chinese Vessels Collide While Pursuing Philippine Boat in South China Sea

This screen grab released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the Monday incident between a Chinese Navy vessel (L) and a China Coast Guard ship. Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP
This screen grab released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows the Monday incident between a Chinese Navy vessel (L) and a China Coast Guard ship. Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP

A Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippines patrol boat in the South China Sea on Monday, Manila said, releasing dramatic video footage of the confrontation.

The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal as the Philippine coast guard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.

Video released by Manila showed a China Coast Guard ship and a much larger vessel bearing the number 164 on its hull colliding with a loud crash.

"The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky maneuver from the (Philippine) vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warship," Tarriela said.

"This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy," he said.

Gan Yu, a Chinese coast guard spokesperson, confirmed that a Monday confrontation had taken place without mentioning the collision.

"The China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring, pressing from the outside, blocking and controlling the Philippine vessels to drive them away," he said in a statement.

The reported collision is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.

More than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway.

Speaking at a morning news conference, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said the country's patrol vessels would "continue to be present" in the area to defend, as well as exercise Manila's sovereign rights over, what it considers to be part of its territory.

The Scarborough Shoal -- a triangular chain of reefs and rocks -- has been a flashpoint between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.

It was unclear if anyone was hurt in Monday's incident.

Tarriela told AFP the Chinese crew "never responded" to the Filipino ship's offer of assistance.

Earlier in the confrontation, the BRP Suluan was "targeted with a water cannon" by the Chinese but "successfully" evaded it, Tarriela's statement said.