Turkey is satisfied with the results of the Berlin Conference on Libya on January 2020, where call for a truce on fighting parties and force them for political solution by implementing the UN imposed arms embargo stricter, a high rank Turkish source told YetkinReport, on condition of anonymity. The source said Turkey had approval on all 55 articles of the joint call by ten countries, under the auspices of the UN with the contribution of the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League. İbrahim Kalın, the Chief Adviser and Spokesman of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said in a Twitter message on January 20 the following: “Berlin Summit is an important opportunity for an end to clashes in Libya and a political solution. Effective and multi-dimensional diplomacy of our President, has made Turkey one of the crucial actors of the process. Turkey will continue its constructive and peaceful policy against proxy wars.” (*)
Asked about the reason of Tayyip Erdoğan’s leaving Berlin two hours before the planned termination of the conference program, the official who asked not to be named said that Erdoğan did not stay for the closing dinner but Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was there until the end of the program. The source said avoiding the dinner was due to Erdoğan’s tight schedule without answering whether it was because he didn’t want to dine around the same table with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and rebel Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar whom backed by Sisi.
Erdoğan did not joined the official dinner given by the U.S. President Donald Trump during the UN General Assemby last September, because Sisi was also there on the head table; Erdoğan avoids direct contact with Sisi since he toppled the elected President of Egypt Mohammad Morsi in 2013. The source told YetkinReport that Haftar has not been “any place where leaders were” meeting.
Short of ceasefire, but…
As Haftar forces backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates were putting Libya capital Tripoli under siege to take it from the control of the Un-recognized government of Fayez Al Sarraj, Erdoğan had signed two agreements with him and then get a mandate from the Turkish Parliament to send troops to Libya in support of Sarraj. That has shook the balances and was followed by a ceasefire call by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdoğan on January 8 which accelerated the initiative by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to convene the Berlin Conference on January 19 for a peaceful solution to the oil-rich but divided country.
The Berlin statement falls short of a ceasefire call but Merkel said enforcing the embargo could allow for a political solution to the conflict since it has been “fueled by proxies”. Turkey has been accused of allowing Syrian fighters go to Libya in Support of Sarraj forces and providing defense systems to them against Haftar forces who are backed by UAE jets deployed in Egypt, Egyptian armed forces and Russian private army of Wagner.
(*) Updated on 20 January 2020 at 10.50 GMT+3
Details to follow…
