Egyptian speaker says Turkish ambitions in Libya on its way to fail

CAIRO – 13 January 2020: Egyptian Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal on Sunday condemned an attempt to restore the “Ottoman dreams,” referring to Turkey’s ambitions, on the Western Egyptian-Libyan borders, saying that such project was on its way to fail.

In an interview with ON E’s Kol Youm, Abdel Aal affirmed Egypt’s support to Libyans to restore their state and national institutions, liberate the Libyan territory from terrorism. He hailed Libya’s strategic depth for the Egyptian national security.

Concerning the controversial agreement between the so-called Government of National Accord and Turkey, Abdel Aal said the deal has been void from the beginning, as it contradicts with Article 8 of the Skhirat Agreement.

Article 8 of the 2015 Skhirat agreement signed between parties of conflict in Libya stipulates that the Libyan government, not the prime minister, has the authority to sign international deals, the Egyptian foreign ministry said earlier.

Abdel Aal underlined on Sunday in the plenary session attended by his Libyan counterpart Aguila Saleh that Libyan and Egyptian national security are intertwined in light of the shared geo-politics, and that subsequently, continuous coordination and consultation are a must.

Abdel Aal asserted that Libyan resources belong to the Libyan people exclusively, saying that the MoUs signed between the GNA, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, and Turkey constitute a violation of international law.

Spokesperson of Egypt’s House of Representatives Salah Hasab Allah stated that the General Committee vigorously condemned in the meeting the Turkish Parliament’s approval to send troops to Libya, as such acts are a violation of international legitimacy principles and UN Security Council’s resolutions on Libya.

The committee also expressed support to the political leadership in all measures it perceives as mandated to deal with the situation.

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Additional reporting by Noha Al-Tawil