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Erdoğan tells Europe to support Tripoli government or face new threats

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The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has warned Europe it could face new threats from terrorist organisations if Libya’s UN-recognised government in Tripoli were to fall.

In an article in Politico, published on the eve of a Libya peace conference in Berlin, Erdoğan said the EU’s failure to adequately support the Government of National Accord (GNA) would be “a betrayal of its own core values, including democracy and human rights”.

The GNA led by Fayez al-Sarraj has been under attack since April from warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces based in the east of the country. Over 280 civilians and 2,000 fighters have been killed because of the conflict and tens of thousands have been displaced.

“Europe will encounter a fresh set of problems and threats if Libya’s legitimate government were to fall,” Erdoğan wrote.

“Terrorist organisations such as Isis and al-Qaida, which suffered a military defeat in Syria and Iraq, will find a fertile ground to get back on their feet.”

Leaders of Russia, Turkey and France are due to join talks in Berlin on Sunday, held under the auspices of the UN, which wants to extract a pledge from foreign powers wielding influence in the region to stop meddling in the conflict, be it through the provision of weapons, troops or financing.

Both leaders of the warring factions – Haftar and Sarraj – are also expected at the first meeting of such scale about the conflict since 2018.

Libya has been torn by fighting between rival armed factions since 2011 when a Nato-backed uprising killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi and toppled his regime.

Although Sarraj’s government is recognised by the UN, some powerful players have broken away to support Haftar – turning a domestic conflict into what is essentially a proxy war with international powers jostling to secure their own interests, from global influence to oil and migration.

Alarm grew internationally when Ankara ordered in troops in early January to help shore up Sarraj, while Moscow is suspected of providing weapons, financing and mercenaries to Haftar – something Russia has denied.

In a joint initiative, Turkey and Russia brokered a ceasefire but this week Haftar walked away from talks in Moscow aimed at finalising the truce.

A furious Erdoğan accused Haftar of fleeing Moscow, warning he would “teach (him) a lesson” if he resumed fighting.

Erdoğan’s government backs Sarraj and the Turkish parliament earlier this month approved the deployment of troops to Libya after the signing of controversial security and maritime deals between Tripoli and Ankara.

“To leave Libya at the mercy of a warlord would be a mistake of historic proportions,” he said in a reference to Haftar.

“We hope what comes out of Berlin is renewed demonstration of international unity in supporting the intra-Libyan political process, ending foreign interference, leading to full respect of the UN arms embargo,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said at a press briefing on Friday.

The conference will aim to agree six points – including a permanent ceasefire, implementation of a much-violated UN arms embargo and a return to political efforts for peace.

Erdoğan, who is also due to attend the Berlin talks, wrote in Politico that the Libyan civil war served as a “litmus test” for the EU to show whether its leaders would abdicate their responsibilities and watch the crisis unfold from the sidelines.

“The EU needs to show the world that it is a relevant actor in the international arena,” he said.

“The upcoming peace conference in Berlin is a very significant step toward that goal. European leaders, however, ought to talk a little less and focus on taking concrete steps.”

An interim truce that came into force in Libya last Sunday has mostly held, despite accusations of violations from Haftar’s forces and the rival GNA.

The fighting has spurred a growing exodus of migrants and refugees, many embarking on rickety boats from Libya towards Europe.

Ghassan Salamé, the UN’s special envoy in Libya, said on Saturday, that international players must stop meddling in the conflict.

“All foreign interference can provide some aspirin effect in the short term, but Libya needs all foreign interference to stop. That’s one of the objectives of this conference,” Salamé said.

“We must end this vicious cycle of Libyans calling for the help of foreign powers. Their intervention deepens the divisions among the Libyans,” said Salamé, noting that the place of international players should be to “help Libyans develop themselves”.

The UN envoy said Sunday’s meeting will also seek to “consolidate” a shaky ceasefire.

“Today we only have a truce. We want to transform it into a real ceasefire with monitoring, separation (of rival camps), repositioning of heavy weapons” outside urban zones, he added.

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