Turkey slammed on Tuesday the statement issued against it by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece and France over its activity in Libya.
The foreign ministers of the five countries held a teleconference on Monday to denounce Ankara’s drilling for potential hydrocarbon deposits in an offshore area where Cyprus has exclusive economic rights, as well as its role in Libyan conflict.
They condemned what they said was Turkey’s sixth attempt in less than a year to “illegally conduct drilling operations in Cyprus’ maritime zones.”
Turkey does not recognize ethnically divided Cyprus as a state and claims much of its exclusive economic zone as its own. It has dispatched warship-escorted vessels off Cyprus to drill for gas, insisting that it is acting to protect its interests and those of Turkish Cypriots to the area’s natural resources.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy criticized Greece and Cyprus for turning to "relying on irrelevant non-regional actors” instead of holding dialogue with Ankara.
He defended Turkey’s policies, saying they aim to protect its “legitimate” interests in line with international law.
The five also protested the agreements signed with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) as a violation of international law and the UN arms embargo in Libya.
“(The) Ministers strongly condemned Turkey’s military interference in Libya, and urged Turkey to fully respect the UN arms embargo, and to stop the influx of foreign fighters from Syria to Libya. These developments constitute a threat to the stability of Libya’s neighbors in Africa as well as in Europe,” the five nations declared.
Last year, Turkey signed a contested maritime border delineation deal as well as a military cooperation agreement with the GNA in Tripoli.
UAE State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash hailed the five nations’ statement as a “balanced diplomatic message.” In a tweet, he said the weight of the participating countries and their pursuit of stability cannot be ignored. Their statement formed an important platform that “prioritizes the international law over the law of the jungle.”
Egyptian former Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Arabi said the five countries should garner more international support to counter Turkey’s regional policies that are violating the national security of various countries.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that their statement coincided with the activation of the European Irini Operation aimed at enforcing the arms embargo against Libya, which will impact Turkey’s delivery of weapons to militias in North Africa, the Sahel and Sahara regions.
The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, hailed the five nations’ statement as “international recognition of its legitimacy” and its “pivotal role in fighting terrorism.”
MP Mohammed Amer al-Abani told Asharq Al-Awsat that the statement “sheds light on the extent of Turkey’s violations against other countries.” He accused it of abusing Libya’s natural resources and intervening directly to kill Libyans.
Abani said it was now time to put a stop to Turkey’s “criminal and terrorist” behavior, slamming it for threatening international peace. He stressed that the United Nations Security Council must impose sanctions against Ankara to deter it from continuing its malicious policies.
The foreign ministry based in eastern Libya welcomed the statement, renewing its rejection of the deals signed between Ankara and the GNA.
In contrast, the GNA’s foreign ministry questioned the five nations’ statement, saying it infringes on Libya’s sovereignty. It called on Mediterranean countries to review their policies towards Libya and take a clear stand in condemning the “aggression” against Tripoli.
For over a year, the LNA has been waging an operation to rid Tripoli of militias and criminal gangs loyal to the GNA.
