Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters at the conclusion of his Egypt’s visit in Cairo that Turkey’s deal with Libya over maritime authority areas was not against Egypt’s interests and the agreement of Egypt and Greece was not against Ankara’s interests.
Cavusoglu said Egypt was initially disturbed by Türkiye’s presence in the region but they affirmed that their presence did not pose a threat to Egypt, adding that the two countries agreed they were not rivals in Libya and that they should work together for the stability of Libya, vowing to intensify their consultations on this issue.
Regarding Egypt’s position on the hydrocarbons exploration agreement in the eastern Mediterranean, Cavusoglu said it wasn’t a problem as each country could sign hydrocarbons agreements with any other country, adding that Egypt is currently objecting to this agreement, claiming that the current government in Libya cannot sign agreements because its mandate has expired and is no longer legitimate. He indicated that Egypt didn’t say the signed agreement was against its interests.
“The issue that Egypt is not comfortable with is our presence in Libya. We said from the beginning that our presence there does not pose a threat to Egypt, and that it came at the invitation of the legitimate government on that day, and continued based on the desire of subsequent governments. We always say that the Turkish presence does not have any negative impact on Egypt.” Cavusoglu remarked.
In response to a question about communication with the Libyan parties and Khalifa Haftar, Cavusoglu said Ankara was negotiating with western and eastern Libya and its ambassador visited all regions as it saw Libya as a whole.
“But this does not change the fact that we only recognize the legitimate government. There are currently different forces in Libya, and our military presence in this country comes within the framework of an agreement. This presence is the most legitimate one currently in Libya, and it is necessary to establish a regular army for the sake of the unity of Libya.” He further explained.
Source: Libya Observer
