Libya will honor deals with Turkey: Al-Mishri

TRIPOLI, Libya

Chairman of the Libyan High Council of State Khalid al-Mishri stressed on Friday his country's honoring agreements signed with Turkey and all deals signed with other countries.

"We confirm our honoring to the agreements signed with Turkey as we honor all previous agreements with other countries," said al-Mishri. "We stress on respecting the road map of the Libyan political dialogue forum in which the government was formed as part of its outcomes.”

His comments follow a statement by Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush who demanded that all foreign forces be withdrawn from Libya.

On Friday, an Italian news outlet quoted al-Mangoush as saying: "We have called on everyone, including Turkey, to cooperate in removing all foreign forces from Libyan soil."

Al-Mishri said "it is neither part of the jurisdiction of the [unity] government to abolish any previous legitimate agreements nor to modify them," and urged the "executive authority [the government and the President Council] to take this into consideration and to respect the Libyan road map."

On April 10, while receiving credentials of the new Turkish envoy to Tripoli, Kenan Yilmaz, the Head of Libya's Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi said his country will maintain mutual interests with Turkey.

The Turkish government and the then-Libyan internationally recognized government signed a security cooperation deal along with a maritime demarcation agreement on Nov. 27, 2019.

Libyans hope it will end years of civil war that have engulfed the country since the ouster and killing of strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara