Turkey denies accusations of supporting offensive on Libyan oil terminals

A rebel fighter looks on as he sits on an anti-aircraft machine gun on August 29, 2011 near Ras Lanuf while smoke pours from a rafinery.  ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images

The Turkish Embassy in Tripoli denied Sunday the accusations directed at Turkey regarding supporting the Benghazi Defence Brigades’ offensive on the oil crescent region.

Members of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives accused
Turkey of sponsoring the forces that carried offensive on oil terminals against Operation Dignity forces.

In a statement on Monday, the Turkish Embassy said it was sorry to hear such accusations, adding that it only recognises and supports the institutions formed under the Libyan Political Agreement that was signed in Skhirat, Morocco, in December 2015.

“Official Turkish institutions, including the Ummah Council in Turkey, are ready to cooperate with the HoR in Libya.” It added, calling on the Tobruk MPs who signed on the paper that accused Turkey of sponsoring the attack on oil terminals to consider the real stance of Turkey and to work with Turkey to improve mutual relations instead.

The embassy also stressed that Turkey wants to help Libya become stable and secure as well as united, pointing out that the crisis in Libya can be resolved through dialogue and peace.

Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) forces launched Friday an operation aimed at returning Benghazi IDPs to their houses, saying the offensive only passed by the oil terminals and was not aiming at taking them under control.

BDB seized Ras Lanuf, Sidra oil terminals from Operation Dignity forces and also controlled the town of Ben Jawad and the airport of Ras Lanuf.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.
You might also like

Submit a Correction

For: Turkey denies accusations of supporting offensive on Libyan oil terminals

Your suggestion have been successfully submitted

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

Libyan Express will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.