Top Turkish diplomat slams Macron’s Libya remarks

ANKARA

Turkish foreign minister on Wednesday criticized the French president’s recent comments on Turkey's support to the internationally recognized Libyan government.

Emmanuel Macron had called Turkey's support for the Libyan government a "dangerous game.”

In a live radio broadcast, Mevlut Cavusoglu said that France plays a dangerous game by going beyond the limits in Libya.

Accusing France of being complicit in the chaos in Libya, the foreign minister said the existence and activities of France in Libya are worrying.

"The balance has been achieved thanks to us. As the legitimate government started to achieve dominance, even the countries earlier standing in the middle gradually started to side with the legitimate government,” he said.

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 battles Haftar's militias.

The government launched Operation Peace Storm against Haftar in March to counter Haftar's attacks on the capital Tripoli, and recently liberated strategic locations, including Tarhuna, Haftar's final stronghold in western Libya.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar