Turkey described on Friday the situation in Libya as "very critical", saying that holding elections is one of the most important ways to guarantee its unity.
At the same time, it demanded that discussions about the legitimacy of its Government of National Unity (GNU) be dropped until the elections are held.
Ankara expressed its ongoing support to the GNU, headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu remarked that the West had set a date to hold the elections as soon as possible, but the Libyans said that the conditions in the country were not yet suitable to stage them. As a result, the polls were postponed.
The elections were supposed to be held on December 24, but political disagreements led to their postponement.
Meanwhile, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told the Anadolu Agency on Friday that his country has supported the political process in Libya from the very beginning to the end, and that Ankara will continue to support it from now on.
“Elections were one of the steps and stages of this political process. We made the necessary suggestions for it to be held, but the Libyans decided to postpone the elections with an agreement among themselves since the conditions were not suitable there,” he said.
Kalin said the Maritime Boundary Treaty and the Military Cooperation and Training Agreement signed between Ankara and Tripoli in 2019 remain valid.
“Even if there are objections from some groups in Libya or some countries in the region, Libyans have a very clear and unequivocal stance on this issue,” he stressed.
The spokesperson noted that his country will continue to stand by the Libyan people and the legitimate government, both in terms of security, supporting the political process, and rebuilding Libya, and strengthening its infrastructure.
He said there is an ongoing political negotiation process among the Libyans on how long the elections will be postponed and who will manage this process.
“We hope that this new political process is announced to everyone with a new date and a transparent roadmap as soon as possible without causing any tension or conflict,” Kalin stressed, adding that Ankara will continue to stand by the Libyans as a supportive and facilitating actor in the process led by the Libyans, whenever they will be held, and in whatever way, they will be planned.
