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On December 16th, Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Committee approved the agreement between Turkey and Libya on military cooperation.
Turkey’s special envoy to Libya Emrullah Isler said that the deal called for a halt to those who tried to ignore Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.
“With this move, Turkey took the board in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey showed that it was a playmaker in the region,” Isler noted.
He added: “This is a step we have taken against the those who were unfair to Turkey.”
The deal will be signed into law after the entirety of Turkish’ parliament approves it.
Seeking to “provide a foundation for relations and develop cooperation” between Turkey and Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), the pact includes increased cooperation in the exchange of personnel, materials, equipment, consultancy, and experience between the two sides.
It also offers Turkish support for the establishment of a quick reaction force for the police and military in Libya, as well as enhanced cooperation on intelligence and the defense industry.
Furthermore, Turkey is reportedly planning to establish a military base in Libya. Ankara will build a base in Libya’s Tripoli after completing its expansion in Qatar, where around 5,000 troops have been stationed since the Saudi-led blockade on the Gulf state.
Turkish media reported that Turkey had already started to prepare and provide necessary equipment to support the government in Libya.
Anonymous military sources revealed to Yeni Shafak that the Libyan government had allegedly asked the Turkish armed forces to equip ships and warplanes in preparation for the transfer of Turkish forces to Libya.
The same military sources confirmed that the transfer process to the city of Tripoli has begun, and the ships that will transport the drones, tanks, special forces and commando units.
In addition, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu suggested that Turkey and Russia had agreed to coordinate their efforts in Libya, in order to avoid incidents.
The Turkish minister explained that “Russian President, Vladimir Putin suggested working jointly in Libya, and we agreed to that,” insisting that Libya is not a zone of competition between the two countries.
Despite the difference, since Turkey supports the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Russia supports Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), the two sides have a good relationship and would like to avoid incidents.
Meanwhile, the fighting on the ground in Libya is on-going with LNA forces advancing on Tripoli and GNA is attempting to defend the city.
#Libye Vidéo qui documenterait des combats qui se poursuivent avec l'avance de la #LNA d'#Haftar sur AlHadba, Salah AlDin et Wadi AlRabi tandis que la #GNA mène une offensive sur la route de l'aéroport.#Tripoli #Libya pic.twitter.com/e1Nkm0pWtP
— Rebecca Rambar (@RebeccaRambar) December 17, 2019
The video shows fighting in the early hours of December 17th over Al-Hadba, Salah Al-Din and Wadi Al-Rabi, with the GNA attempting to push back LNA forces on the road to the Tripoli airport.
The LNA is also deploying more equipment to Southern Tripoli.
كتيبة 302 صاعقة التابعة للقيادة العامة تتحرك صباح اليوم الى …. ? pic.twitter.com/Tuqy6oukUt
— غصة الخوارج (@LiBya_73) December 16, 2019
All of this increased activity is a result of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s announcement that “zero hour” had come and initiated a final offensive on Tripoli, likely prompted by a sense of urgency due to Turkey’s announcement that it would potentially deploy troops in support of the GNA soon.
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I don’t think Turkey would like to establish a base in Tripoli while the city is under attack by a rascal general.
Turkey think is Syria in Libya, in Syria Russia help them to protect Turks military bases but in Libya wont be any Russians to protect them hey will be under attack like any other enemy of the country . Hundreds of Turkish soldiers will perish.
Just when it looks like the Muslim Brotherhood is about to be wiped out and Libya reunited under Haftar and Salif Gaddafi, Errdogan decides to rescue them.
He must have been offered a piece of the oil fields by the US who seem to want Libya to remain fractured and powerless. Maybe Egypt will have other plans.
EXTERMINATE EVERY ANGLOZIONAZI-DÖNMEH-MUSLIMBROTHERHOOD-HEADCHOPPING-TERRORIST IN LIBYA….NO MERCY! FERTILIZE TRIPOLI
KILLEM ALL…MAY VICTORY FOR THE LNA COME SWIFT
Essentially what we have now is a new proxy war brewing-up between Turkey v Egypt/Greece/France.
Is Macron going to send a carrier task force?
Erdogan enters Libya war, risking conflict with Greece, France, Egypt & Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIByZRavB-U&t=2129s