Turkey on Wednesday slammed a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman that chided Ankara for its position on the conflict in Libya.
By targeting Turkey, Ahmed Hafez is trying to cover up Egypt’s maneuvers in Libya, said Hami Aksoy, spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
“It is not surprising that the Egyptian administration supported Libyan putschist Khalifa Haftar, who aims to establish a military dictatorship in Libya,” the Turkish official said in a statement.
The statement added that it was a grave contradiction for the state to reject the Libyan Political Agreement, which was ratified by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2259, by supporting warlord Haftar while at the same time claiming commitment to a political solution in Libya.
“If the Egyptian administration really wants to promote a political solution in Libya and cares about the well-being of the Libyan people, it should halt its support for Haftar’s coup attempts,” it said.
Haftar launched a failed offensive against the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) to illegitimately take the capital Tripoli last April, which caused bloodshed and suffering but stalled on the outskirts of the city.
Since the ousting of late ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: renegade military commander Haftar in eastern Libya, mainly supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys U.N. and international recognition.
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