Turkish defense minister, military chief visit Libya, while Ankara ‘keeps a close watch’ on developments

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler went to Libya Friday to review activities carried out under MoU signed by Turkey, Libya. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “Work between Turkey and Libya’s legitimate government must continue very seriously and decisively”.

While Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler on Friday visited Libya to review the activities carried out under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “Work between Turkey and Libya’s legitimate government must continue very seriously and decisively”. Erdogan also underlined that Ankara wants to “keep a close watch” on the developments in Libya as he informed that Turkish defense minister arrived in the civil-war-torn northern African country on Friday.

A military ceremony was held for the duo upon their arrival at the Mitiga International Airport in the capital Tripoli.

Following the ceremony, Akar and Guler went to the Defense Security Cooperation and Training Assistance Advisory Command, which was created within the scope of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Turkey and Libya.

The two met with Turkish and Libyan soldiers, including Osama al-Juwaili, the commander of the Operation Peace Storm.

Akar reiterated Turkey’s support for Libyan people to ensure they live “comfortably, happier and more confidently.”

“I want you to know that we are with you today and tomorrow, and will do whatever it requires for our Libyan brothers under the instructions of our president,” Akar said.

On Nov. 27, 2019, Ankara and Tripoli signed two MoUs; one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The maritime pact asserted Turkey’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of unilateral drilling by the Greek Cypriot administration, clarifying that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to the resources in the area. It went into effect on Dec. 8.

Following the military cooperation deal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara may consider sending troops to Libya if the UN-recognized Tripoli government made such a request.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The country’s new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces.

The UN recognizes the Libyan government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj as the country’s legitimate authority, as Tripoli has battled Haftar’s militias since April 2019, a conflict that has taken over 1,000 lives.

In March, the Libyan government launched Operation Peace Storm to counter attacks on the capital and recently retook strategic locations, including Al-Watiya airbase and the strategic city of Tarhuna.

Turkey to ‘keep a close watch’ on developments in Libya

“Work between Turkey and Libya’s legitimate government must continue very seriously and decisively,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

Erdogan also underlined that Ankara wants to “keep a close watch” on the developments in Libya as he informed that Turkish defense minister arrived in the civil-war-torned northern African country on Friday.

On Nov. 27, 2019, Ankara and Tripoli signed two MoUs: one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The maritime pact asserted Turkey’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of unilateral drilling by the Greek Cypriot administration, clarifying that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also has rights to the resources in the area. It went into effect on Dec. 8.

Following the military cooperation deal, Erdogan said Ankara may consider sending troops to Libya if the UN-recognized Tripoli government made such a request.

Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country’s new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces.

Mercenaries in Sirte deepen conflict

The increasing number of mercenaries, who are mobilizing to support Haftar’s militias in Sirte, indicates Haftar’s backers are repositioning themselves on the front line for maximum advantage

Over the past two months, there has been a drastic change on the ground in Libya as forces loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) have pushed Haftar’s self-declared Libyan National Army (LNA) to the borders of the coastal city of Sirte, some 450 km east of Tripoli, and Al-Jufra airbase in central Libya.

Since January this year, Turkey has intervened determinedly in the Libyan conflict, providing air support, weapons, and technical assistance to the UN-backed government, and this Turkish support has recently enabled a series of victories for the GNA forces to the detriment of Haftar’s LNA and his backers, namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Russia and France.

Now, the UN-backed forces are advancing on Sirte, the gateway to the east of the country and oil fields.

Sirte seems to be crucial for the legitimate Libyan government for two reasons. First, Sirte has significant economic value as a gateway to Libya’s oil crescent region, consisting of vital ports such as al-Zuweytinah, Ra’s Lanuf, Marsa al Brega, and as-Sidr, which reportedly [1] supplies 60% of Libya’s oil exports. Secondly, it is a strategic city that could enable the GNA to take control of the Libyan coastline from the capital to the west and Benghazi to the east.

Since Wagner, a private paramilitary contractor from Russia, reportedly [2] helped Haftar’s militias seize Libya’s largest oil field last week. Russian cargo planes have been constantly flying between a Russian air base in Syria and Libya. Over the last weeks, the U.S. military officials have said [3] these Russian flights could be transferring weapons shipments and thousands of foreign mercenaries linked with militias loyal to Haftar, who are moving towards Sirte to enhance the fighting force of the warlord as he fervently seeks to keep his eastern stronghold.

The battle over the control of Libya’s oil resources is a primary driver for some countries currently engaged in the conflict. Libya’s fragmentation at political and security levels has effectively led to an open fight for the country’s energy resources. Oil revenues have been, and remain, at the core of the conflict.

According to a Wall Street Journal report [4], mercenaries linked to Wagner have joined forces with Haftar’s militias to maintain the El-Sharara oil field, Libya’s largest, which produces over 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day, approximately one-third of the oil-rich country’s production.

In response to recent developments, the spokesperson of the UN-backed forces stated [5] that the “liberation” of Sirte and Jufra from Khalifa Haftar’s militias had become “more urgent than ever” for the GNA following the deployment of mercenaries in the country.

Russia has used Libya’s civil war to exert further influence on Europe’s southern border and have access to Libya’s oil and gas. It seems that Russia has been filling the vacuum left by NATO to further its benefits regardless of the cost that its moves bring to international peace and stability.

Recently, France accused [6] Turkey of criminal responsibility in Libya, but Turkey seems to have a reasonable position in Libya, and apparently Ankara is the only actor whose presence in the country is justified under international law, not least there is a formal security cooperation between Turkey and the UN-backed government. Besides, Turkish support to the GNA is regarded in a positive light by a a large number of Libyans.

Yet France’s approach towards the Libyan conflict seems to undermine NATO’s position in Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean. Until now, France’s stance towards the two main parties within Libya has been one of utter ambiguity. While giving lip service to the UN-backed government, Paris has, over the past years, closely collaborated [7] with Haftar, even neglecting the security concerns that arise from Russia’s increasing influence in the region with Haftar as its proxy.

Recently, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said [8] “NATO sees Russia as a threat on the one hand, but NATO-ally France is trying to increase Russia’s presence in Libya on the other.”

Paris is still paying lip service to the UN-led peace process while actively trying to undermine it. As a result, it is causing a great divide within the international community and making it harder and harder for any credible diplomatic effort toward ending the conflict in Libya to take hold.

Ghassan Salame, the United Nations’ former Libya envoy, slammed [9] the hypocrisy of the members of the UN Security Council over the support given to Haftar against the UN-backed government, because when the warlord began his offensive last year in April, Salame said, “he had most of them supporting him”.

The increasing number of mercenaries, who are mobilizing to support Haftar’s self-declared LNA in Sirte, indicates that Haftar’s backers are repositioning themselves on the front line for maximum advantage. They seem to be prepared to protect their economic and political interests in eastern Libya and oil resources east of Sirte. The UN-backed government forces, on the other hand, seem to be determined to liberate the city as they consider Sirte as a focal point for the mercenaries, whose existence in the country serves nothing but to fuel more conflict and cause greater destruction