Ankara: ‘Haftar will not win the battle in Libya’

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes hands with the chairman of Presidential Council of Libya, Fayez Al-Sarraj (L) as they pose for a photo at Dolmabahce Office in Istanbul, Turkey on 27 November 2019 [Mustafa Kamacı/Anadolu Agency]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stressed that the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar will not be able to resolve the battle against the Ankara-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Çavuşoğlu announced on Wednesday, in an interview with the Turkish channel 24 TV, that Haftar is still far from a political solution, noting that countries such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France continue to support the National Army, whose attacks have increased in recent times.

The foreign minister added: “The control of the coastline from Tripoli to Tunisia and the control of international airports, as well as the advance by air and land, actually indicate Haftar’s inability to win this battle.”

The minister affirmed that this pushed the Tripoli-based GNA to: “Repel those attacks by launching a counter-attack and holding control of important areas.”

Furthermore, Çavuşoğlu revealed on Wednesday that Fayez Al-Sarraj, president of the Presidential Council of the GNA, which was established according to the Skhirat Agreement, will visit Ankara on Thursday, where he will be received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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