Egypt, Saudi Arabia condemn Turkish interference in Libya

CAIRO – 6 January 2020: Egyptian and Saudi foreign ministers on Monday voiced rejection to the Turkish escalation in Libya as it represents a violation of international law, and urged boosting efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement to the Libyan crisis, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

As they met on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the African and Arab States bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud, discussed growing tensions in the war-torn country, especially in light of Turkey’s parliament’s approval for the dispatch of Turkish troops to Libya, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said.

They also reviewed the situation in Iraq, as well as Iranian and Turkish interference in the region. In this regard, they discussed threats facing the Arab countries in the Gulf and agreed on the need to prevent these regional developments from affecting the security and stability of the Gulf.

The two ministers exchanged visions regarding a number of other issues and current crises, and the way to coordinate to work on achieving security and stability in the region.

They highlighted the depth of strategic relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and reviewed ways to foster various cooperation fields during the next period.

On January 2, 2020, the Turkish Parliament voted on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bill to send Turkish troops to Libya after Erdogan and Head of the so-called Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj reached a deal in February 2019 on drawing maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea- one of the largest natural gas resources in the region- and on enhancing military cooperation.

The deal provoked anger in Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, which voiced their rejection of the deal as it contradicts with the international agreements.

“Egypt affirms that such memoranda possess no legal effect, as they cannot be recognized in light of the fact that Article 8 of the Skhirat Political Agreement on Libya, widely accepted by Libyans, defines the competences conferred to the Council of Ministers, expressly stipulating that the Council of Ministers as an entity – and not the president of the council alone – has the power to conclude international agreements,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry earlier said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Parliament held Saturday an emergency session, in which it voted on a bundle of decisions, including the rejection of the deals inked between the GNA and Turkey.

The parliament voted unanimously on authorizing the General Commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar to disable airports, ports, and land gates that are controlled by the militias.

The parliament further agreed to address the UN Security Council, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the European Union and other international organizations to withdraw the recognition of the GNA.