Turkish President Erdogan Says Turkey Is Ready to Send Troops To Libya

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House in Washington, US on 13 November 2019 [Halil Sağırkaya/Anadolu Agency]

Middle East Monitor: Erdogan: Turkey ready to send troops to Libya

Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has announced that he is prepared to deploy Turkish soldiers to Libya, should the UN-recognised government make the request.

During a televised interview on Monday, Erdogan disclosed “if Libya were to invite Turkey, of course Turkey would have the right to go to Libya as per the accord,” referring to last month’s deal signed with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj. “We are prepared to give all manner of support to Libya,” Erdogan added.

This comes against developments that Libyan general, Khalifa Haftar, and his Libyan National Army (LNA) are edging closer to the capital, Tripoli, with support from Russian forces. “Haftar is not a national representative of Libya there, Sarraj is,” President Erdoğan asserted.

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Update: As Rivals Fight for Control of Libya, Erdogan Says Turkey May Jump In (The New York Times)

WNU Editor: They are going to have this phone call because Russia is supporting the group that is trying to overthrow Turkey's allies in Libya .... Erdoğan, Putin to discuss Libya, says official (Hurriyet Daily News). My prediction. Turkey will send troops, adding to the number of foreign military forces already engaged in Libya .... Multiple foreign armed groups involved in Libya conflict: UN (AFP).