Türkiye Once Again Denies Request to Inspect Ship Bound for Libya

A ship that belongs to the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI to oversee an arms embargo on Libya. (AFP)
A ship that belongs to the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI to oversee an arms embargo on Libya. (AFP)
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Türkiye Once Again Denies Request to Inspect Ship Bound for Libya

A ship that belongs to the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI to oversee an arms embargo on Libya. (AFP)
A ship that belongs to the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI to oversee an arms embargo on Libya. (AFP)

Türkiye denied on Monday a flag state consent request from Operation IRINI, launched by the European Union to oversee an arms embargo on Libya, to inspect one of its ships.

The European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) said Ankara refused the inspection of its MV MATILDE A, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution 2292 (2016) on the arms embargo on Libya.

It recalled in a statement the Security Council’s call upon all UN members to cooperate with inspections.

This incident has been repeated frequently due to Ankara's position on the European operation since its launch in 2020.

The Council of the European Union decided to launch, on 31 March 2020, a new Operation called EUNAVOR MED IRINI, mainly maritime and focused on implementing the UN arms embargo on Libya.

IRINI was launched on March 31, 2020 after the first Berlin Conference, with the primary mission to enforce the UN arms embargo to Libya due to the second Libyan civil war.

Since then, it has investigated more than 7,298 ships, conducted almost 385 visits (so-called Friendly Approaches) onboard merchant vessels and 24 inspections.

Furthermore, the Operation has investigated 1,010 suspect flights and provided 40 special reports to the UN Panel of Experts on Libya, most of which referred to violations or possible violations of the arms embargo and oil smuggling activities in the West and in the East of the Country.

It also issued, through the embedded Crime Information Cell, to the relevant Law Enforcement agencies 69 recommendations for inspection of suspect vessels in EU member states’ ports, 54 of which were conducted.

It further inspected 24 suspect vessels, two of which were diverted to a port of an EU member state where their cargo was seized.

It announced in its September report that it monitored 38 suspect flights and continued to monitor 25 airports (and landing strips) and 16 ports (and oil terminals).

It also investigated 156 merchant vessels via radio calls and carried out 18 visits on ships with Masters’ consent.

The report indicated that Türkiye denied consent to board and inspect suspect vessels on eight occasions.

In July, the Turkish ship, MV Parpali, bound for the Libyan port of Misrata, denied request for inspection by Operation IRINI.

Ankara considers the operation “biased.”

Thousands of Turkish forces have been sent to Libya to fight along dozens of mercenaries from armed factions loyal to Türkiye.

This comes in line with the memorandum of understanding on security and military cooperation signed in November 2019 between Türkiye and the Government of National Accord (GNA) then headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

There are currently about 7,000 mercenaries from armed factions loyal to Türkiye in Libya despite international demands to withdraw all foreign forces.

Türkiye considers its military presence in Libya “legal.”

Ankara says its presence in Libya is aimed at helping the country establish a unified army that brings together all the forces from the east and west under one umbrella.

The Turkish parliament approved in June to extend the armed forces' mandate in Libya for another 18 months from July 2, at the request of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A ship that belongs to the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI to oversee an arms embargo on Libya. (AFP)



Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
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Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE

Türkiye’s foreign minister said after meeting Syria's de facto leader in Damascus on Sunday that there was no room for Kurdish militants in Syria's future, calling for the YPG militia to disband.
Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.
Sunday's visit to Damascus by Hakan Fidan, the first foreign minister to visit Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow two weeks ago, came amid hostilities in northeast Syria between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and the YPG, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast.
Speaking alongside Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Fidan said he had discussed the YPG presence with the new Syrian administration and believed Damascus would take steps to ensure Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
"In the coming period, the YPG must come to a point where it is no longer a threat to Syria's national unity," Fidan said, adding the YPG should disband.
The SDF played a key role defeating ISIS militants in 2014-2017 with US air support, and still guards ISIS fighters in prison camps. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the group would try to re-establish capabilities in this period.
Fidan said the international community was "turning a blind eye" to the "illegality" of the SDF and YPG's actions in Syria, but added that he believed US President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach.
He said the new Syrian administration had told him during their talks that they could manage the ISIS prison camps, if needed.
In a Reuters interview on Thursday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye. He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
The SDF has been on the back foot since Assad's fall, with the threat of advances from Ankara and Türkiye-backed groups as it looks to preserve political gains made in the last 13 years, and with Syria's new rulers being friendly to Ankara.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense minister said Ankara believed Syria's new leadership, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG fighters from all of the territory they occupy in the northeast.
Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the Kurdish faction in northern Syria and controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halt support for the Kurdish fighters.
Ankara had for years backed opposition groups looking to oust Assad and welcomed the end of his family's brutal five-decade rule after a 13-year civil war. Türkiye also hosts millions of Syrian migrants it hopes will start returning home after Assad's fall, and has vowed to help rebuild Syria.
Fidan said all international sanctions imposed against Assad must be lifted as soon as possible to help Syria start rebuilding, offering Ankara's assistance on matters such as infrastructure development.
Sharaa told Sunday's press conference his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.