Erdogan says world powers should not repeat mistakes of Syria in Libya

Monitoring Desk

ISTANBUL: The international community should not repeat the mistakes it made in tackling the Syrian conflict in Libya’s civil war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

Speaking alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Erdogan thanked her for hosting a Libya peace conference, but cautioned that the success of the resulting 55-point peace plan depends wholly on implementation on the ground.

Continuing attacks in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, showed who really wants peace, Erdogan said, referring to military strongman Khalifa Haftar whom he called a “putschist.”

“[In light of these facts] we hope that the international community does not fall into the mistake it made in Syria, in Libya,” he added.

Merkel brought Libya back onto the European agenda at a summit last week, as Turkey and Russia play a more assertive role in the escalating civil war in which they back opposing sides.

Erdogan said that the call for a ceasefire in Libya that he reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin paved the way for the Berlin conference.

Merkel and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres want to see the binding commitments by international powers adhered to: upholding a UN arms embargo and ending military support for Libya’s warring factions.

The plan agreed to in Berlin was an “important step” for political stability in Libya, Erdogan said, adding that a quick solution was essential before Islamic State, al-Qaeda and foreign mercenaries can gain further ground there.

Turkey supports the Government of National Accord (GNA) and in November signed agreements on military cooperation and maritime borders with Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj’s UN-backed administration.

Russia backs Haftar’s rival administration based in eastern Libya.

“Incidents in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya have once again shown the common fate of the geography that we live in,” Erdogan said, adding that the “the atmosphere of chaos in Libya will impact the entire Mediterranean basin unless calm is restored as soon as possible.”

Libya as well as the conflict in Syria are expected to feature prominently in the talks between Erdogan and Merkel.

“The conflict that has been going on in Syria over the past nine years has not only affected neighbouring countries like us, but the whole of Europe, in particular Germany,” Erdogan said.

Tensions with EU allies increased after Turkey’s incursion into north-eastern Syria in October.

The 2016 deal between Turkey, which hosts 3.6 million Syrians, and the European Union to stop refugees from reaching the bloc is faltering. Erdogan repeatedly complains that Ankara isn’t receiving adequate funding to bear the burden and warns of “opening the gates” for refugees to Europe.

Earlier Friday, Erdogan and Merkel opened a new Turkish-German University campus in Istanbul.

The German leader said that education is “valuable,” not only for the integration of refugees in their host countries, but also as a prerequisite for rebuilding their home countries upon return. (dpa)