Turkish parliament approves deployment of troops to Libya

The Turkish parliament approved, by a majority, the presidential authorisation to send troops to Libya.

Earlier Thursday, the Turkish parliament has held an emergency session, headed by Mustafa Shantoub, to vote on a draft memorandum allowing the Turkish government to send military forces to Libya.

On Monday, the Turkish Presidency presented to the Parliament’s Speaker office a memorandum of authorisation to send military forces to Libya, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to the memorandum, the time for sending Turkish forces to Libya and the place of their deployment will be decided by the President of the Republic, following the principles set by Erdogan about taking all kinds of measures to eliminate risks and threats.

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The memorandum also clarified that the mandate period would be one year, subject to extension, per Article 92 of the Turkish Constitution regarding the dispatch of military forces to foreign countries.

The memorandum also indicated that one of the motivations behind the deployment to Libya is to protect national interests under international law and to take all necessary security precautions to face the risks emanating from the propagation of illegal armed groups in Libya.

On the other hand, the Turkish authorities aim to ensure the country’s security against potential risks, such as mass migrations, in addition to providing humanitarian assistance to the Libyan people, and support to the legitimate government in Libya