Turkey views Egyptian proposed ceasefire as an attempt to save Khalifa Hafter
Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut, Cavusolga rejected on Wednesday 10 June Egypt’s proposed ceasefire due to Turkey’s suspicions that it was called for in order to save military commander Haftar after his downfall in Tripoli.
Ankara dismisses the Cairo’s proposal to halt the fighting as it questions its true intentions.
“The ceasefire effort in Cairo was stillborn. If a ceasefire is to be signed, it should be done at a platform that brings everyone together,” the Turkish Foreign Minister commented to the Hurriyet Daily News. “The ceasefire call to save Haftar does not seem sincere or believable to us.”
In the midst of the conflict in Libya, Turkey sided with the internationally recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) while Egypt associated themselves with the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Haftar.
The ceasefire was announced on June 6 by Egypt shortly after Haftar’s forces were defeated in Libya’s capital after a 14-month fight.
Cavusoglu stated that Turkey is actively searching for solutions and speaking with all parties involved in order to reach a common agreement.
US president Trump agreed with Turkey’s position as he discussed with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip his support on the GNA continuing their fight to secure more territory. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Germany, Italy and France highly supported the immediate halting of all military operations.
On Wednesday June 9, the foreign minister discussed other resolutions to the conflict with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on the phone, according to sources.
On June 10 Russian President Vladmir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodogan had a phone call where Putin emphasized the need to reach a ceasefire in any way possible, in agreeance with the already proposed resolution. A press release issued by the Russian government stated that both presidents agreed on reaching a “political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict.”
Analysis
Rising tension between Egypt and Turkey may also be another factor that hinders their dialogue to find a resolution. The Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs released a statement on June 4th accusing of Turkey of “recruiting, training, and transferring thousands of foreign fighters from Syria to Libya.”
In response to this, the spokesperson of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hami Aksoy completely denied the allegations and pointed out Eygpts role in supporting Haftra as he acts in “clear violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions”. These exchanges came days before the proposed ceasefire.
