Ankara Condemns 'Desecration' of Turkish Flag in Libya

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Manqush in Tripoli last May. (AFP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Manqush in Tripoli last May. (AFP)
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Ankara Condemns 'Desecration' of Turkish Flag in Libya

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Manqush in Tripoli last May. (AFP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Manqush in Tripoli last May. (AFP)

Ankara strongly condemned an attack on the Turkish flag outside the temporary headquarters of the House of Representatives in Tobruk, east of Libya.

"We strongly condemn the ugly action against our flag in front of the temporary building of the House of Representatives during the budget negotiations held on July 5, 2021, in Tobruk, Libya," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said in a statement.

Belgic indicated that immediately after learning of the "heinous act," the Turkish embassy in Tripoli made the necessary written and verbal initiatives before the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The embassy demanded that necessary measures be taken to prevent such provocations and to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

He noted that the act intended to target the Turkish-Libyan friendship, adding that the attack on the Turkish flag, "which represents our independence and sacred values, will never achieve its goal," he said.

The necessary response will come from "the friendly and brotherly Libyan people before anyone else," asserted Bilgic.

In an act of provocation on Monday, Haftar supporters set down Turkish flags on a road that Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah's convoy was supposed to use during his visit to Tobruk. They stepped on the flag in a message that they rejected the Turkish presence in their country.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of implementing the agreements signed with Turkey regarding the country's reconstruction.

The statement came following a meeting between the Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs, Mohammed Issa, and the Turkish Ambassador to Libya, Kenan Yilmaz, in Tripoli on Tuesday.

Issa noted that the return and the resumption of operations of Turkish companies would "significantly contribute to Libya's reconstruction."

Yilmaz affirmed his country's desire to enhance cooperation relations with Libya and work with its government in various fields.

On April 12, Tripoli and Ankara concluded five memoranda of understanding and cooperation protocols in various fields during the meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council in Ankara.



Indonesia and Australia Finalize New Bilateral Defense Treaty

Indonesia's Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto (L) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) take part in a joint statement at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 20 August 2024. EPA/MICK TSIKAS
Indonesia's Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto (L) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) take part in a joint statement at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 20 August 2024. EPA/MICK TSIKAS
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Indonesia and Australia Finalize New Bilateral Defense Treaty

Indonesia's Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto (L) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) take part in a joint statement at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 20 August 2024. EPA/MICK TSIKAS
Indonesia's Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto (L) and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) take part in a joint statement at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 20 August 2024. EPA/MICK TSIKAS

Indonesia and Australia on Tuesday finalized a new bilateral defense treaty that will enhance the neighboring nations' ability to operate their militaries in each other's territory.
The agreement was reached as Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who also serves as defense minister, met with Australian officials at the country's Parliament earlier Tuesday.
The bilateral relationship is becoming increasingly important to Australians in face of growing tensions with China. New Australian prime ministers typically make Jakarta one of their first overseas destinations, The Associated Press said.
The pact will be signed within days, when Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles visits Jakarta.
Marles said the successful conclusion of negotiations after two years was significant for both countries’ national security.
“What this agreement will do is provide for much greater interoperability between our defense forces, it will provide for much more exercises between our defense forces, it will see us working together the global commons to support the rules-based order and, importantly, it will allow us to operate from each other’s countries,” Marles told reporters.
“And in that sense, this agreement will be the deepest, the most significant agreement that our two countries have ever made,” Marles added.
Subianto described the agreement as “ironing out some legalistic details” and said that it achieved “great progress” in the two countries' defense cooperation.
Euan Graham, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, questioned the pact’s strategic value to Australia.
Subianto made clear that Indonesia would remain non-aligned under his leadership, Graham said. This means Indonesia will remain among a group of countries that don’t want to be officially aligned with or against any major power bloc such as the United States.
“The issue is that Indonesia doesn’t share the same threat perception as Australia towards China,” he added.
With around 275 million people, Indonesia has 10 times the population of Australia, which has fewer than 27 million people.
Subianto’s overnight Canberra visit was his first to Australia since he was elected president in February.
He noted that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was the first foreign leader to congratulate him on his election victory.
“We have had our ups and downs as the political situation and the geopolitical situation of course evolved, but I think we are very happy today to have several decades of very close cooperation," Subianto told reporters and added he was determined to continue "this good neighbor relationship."
Albanese said he looked forward to attending the president’s inauguration in October. Albanese was elected prime minister in 2022 while Indonesian President Joko Widodo was in power.
“There is no more important relationship than the relationship between our two great nations,” Albanese said.
“The strides that President Widodo and I have made together toward a deeper economic relationship will be the foundation of the work that I know will continue under your administration,” Albanese added.