Macron accuses Erdogan of not keeping promises regarding Libya

PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, of not fulfilling the promises he made at the international conference regarding Libya following the arrival of Turkish warships and Syrian fighters in Libya.

“I would like to express my concern about Turkey’s behavior at the present time, which is completely contrary to what President Tayyip Erdogan committed to at the Berlin conference,” Macron said at a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

On Wednesday, photos of Turkish warships off the coast of Libya were shown on social media.

Oliver Hazard Perry-class derivative frigate off the coast of Tripoli.

Probable Turkish Navy. https://t.co/NFrV6AfVhh

— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) January 28, 2020

Macron confirmed the presence of Turkish ships and accused Ankara of violating Libya’s sovereignty, in addition to endangering the security of Europe and West Africa.

“We have seen in recent days the arrival of Turkish warships accompanied by Syrian mercenaries in Libya. This is a serious violation of what was agreed on in Berlin, it is a violation of the promise,” Macron added.

On 25 January 2019, the United Nations said that some countries that support the fighting factions in Libya violated the arms embargo following the Berlin conference without naming these countries.