Turkey, Libya, Qatar agree to ink military deal

TRIPOLI, Libya

Libya’s deputy defense minister on Monday announced that his country has agreed with Turkey and Qatar to sign a tripartite deal for military cooperation to boost capabilities of the Libyan military.

According to media office of the government-led Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) Operation, Salah Al-Namroush said Turkey and Qatar will establish facilities in Libya for military training and consultancy.

Al-Namroush also added that as part of the deal, Turkey and Qatar will send consultants and military personnel to Libya.

Turkish and Qatari ministers emphasized that they support the political solution and the legitimate government, he added.

Earlier in the day, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a trilateral meeting with his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah and Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli.

Akar, accompanied by Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler, visited the Libyan prime minister’s office for the meeting.

He also visited the Defense Security Cooperation and Training Assistance Advisory Command that was established as part of a memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Libya.

The Turkish defense minister also held another trilateral meeting with his Qatari counterpart and Libya's Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha.

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 internationally recognized Tripoli government made such a request.

Libya's government, formed in 2015, in the wake of the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, has faced a number of challenges, including attacks by warlord Khalifa Haftar.

In recent months, however, it has turned the tide against Haftar's forces.

Turkey supports the government based in the capital Tripoli and a non-military resolution of the crisis.