Turkey will continue talks with Russia to reach a lasting cease-fire in Libya, said Turkey’s foreign minister on Monday.
“TERRORISM IS THE ENEMY OF US ALL”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin have “agreed to continue working together to establish a lasting cease-fire in Libya,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference alongside his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, who is visiting the Turkish metropolis Istanbul.
Libya’s government, which enjoys recognition by the UN, has been under attack by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces since April 2019, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.
After launching a counter-offensive in March against attacks on the capital, Libya’s army recently liberated strategic locations, including the Al-Watiya airbase and Tarhuna, viewed as a significant blow to Haftar’s forces.
Turkey and Iran plan to resume flights on Aug. 1 after a months-long hiatus due to the virus outbreak, according to Cavusoglu. “We have opened the borders. We will continue working for passages by both air and land,” he added.
On the instabilities in Turkey and Iran’s neighborhood, Cavusoglu said: “There is terrorism in our region. Terrorism is the enemy of us all.” He added that the two countries need to continue working to fight terrorism in the days to come.
Zarif, for his part, thanked Turkey for helping Iran fight the pandemic.