The spokesman for the European External Action Service (EEAS) stressed on Friday 3 January the EU’s deep concern about the decision taken by the Turkish Grand National Assembly the day before to authorise military deployments to Libya.
By 325 votes to 184, parliamentarians adopted a motion giving the Turkish army a one-year mandate to intervene in Libya. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not yet specified the nature of the intervention – sending troops or only military ‘advisers’ – to assist the Libyan government of national unity.
“There is no military solution to the Libyan crisis. Actions supporting those who are fighting in the conflict will only further destabilise the country and the wider region”, the EEAS spokesperson warned in a statement. In his view, it is “imperative” that all international partners fully comply with the UN arms embargo. In addition, the international community must support the efforts of UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé and the Berlin process, “the only avenue towards a peaceful, stable and secure Libya”, the spokesman added.
For its part, the EU will continue to provide “active engagement in support of all de-escalatory measures and steps leading to an effective ceasefire and the resumption of political negotiations”, he explained.
Already on 23 December, the EEAS spokesman had explained that there was no military solution to the crisis and that it could only be resolved by a negotiated political solution on the basis of the proposals recently put forward by the UN. He had therefore called on all Libyan parties to cease all military action and to resume political dialogue and on the international community to respect the arms embargo. “All participants to the Berlin process should engage constructively in bringing about a peaceful resolution to the conflict, that preserves Libyan sovereignty and is negotiated in the interest of all Libyans”, the spokesman said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)