Turkish Parliament approves sending troops to Libya

On Thursday, the Turkish Parliament approved by an overwhelming majority a bill that would allow the sending of troops to Libya, paving the way for closer military cooperation between Ankara and Tripoli, but it is unlikely to lead to the immediate deployment of troops.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling coalition has a majority in parliament, said last week that Turkey would deploy forces to Libya to support the national reconciliation government led by the internationally recognised winner of al-Sarraj.

Al-Wefaq's government has requested Turkey's support as it faces an offensive from eastern Libya (the Libyan National Army) led by Khalifa Haftar, which is backed by Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

The decision came after Ankara and the Libyan National Accord Government signed two separate agreements in November, one related to security and military cooperation and the other related to the maritime borders of the eastern Mediterranean, provoking the anger of Greece, Israel, Egypt and Cyprus.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated immediately after the announcement of the result of the vote that it strongly condemned the decision of the Turkish Parliament and called on the international community to "urgently fulfil its responsibilities in the face of these developments".

Parliament adopted the bill, which was rejected by all the main opposition parties, with 315 approvals and 184 protests. Opposition parties say the measure could exacerbate the conflicts in Libya and endanger Turkish soldiers and Turkish national security.

Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said the bill was an important step to protect Ankara's interests in North Africa and the Mediterranean region and to bring peace and stability to Libya.

The interior minister of the Libyan National Accord government, Fathi Pashaga, told Reuters that Tripoli had asked for Turkey's support after the dangerous escalation of the conflict by Haftar forces.

The minister said: "The National Reconciliation Government is the legitimate government internationally recognized without question ... and it has the full right to defend its legitimacy."

"The Turkish military presence in Libya" will only aggravate the situation, said Russian representative Dmitri Novakov quoted by Interfax news agency after the vote.