Pact with Turkey does not violate Skhirat deal: Libya

ISTANBUL

The UN-recognized Government of National Accord's (GNA) UN permanent representative said Saturday the agreement with Turkey did not violate the Skhirat agreement and does not need the approval of the legislative bodies.

According to a statement on the website of Libyan Foreign Ministry, the UN permanent representative submitted a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) officials regarding the memorandum of understanding inked with Turkey late November.

The letter stated that Libya had the right to strike a deal with any country in the world and this right was secured by the international law.

Addressing the Egyptian administration's letter to the UNSC -- where it criticized Ankara-Tripoli agreement -- as a move meddling Libyan domestic affairs, the letter added that the UN resolutions were violated by countries supporting Khalifa Haftar, the GNA's rival.

On Dec. 17, Cairo applied to the UNSC, and claiming that the deal between Ankara and Tripoli violated an agreement the UNSC approved in 2011 regarding arming the militants in western Libya.

The letter also claimed that the agreement also violated the Skhirat agreement of Dec. 17, 2015, between the parties in war-weary Libya.

On Nov. 27, Ankara and Tripoli reached two separate memorandums of understanding, one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Following the military cooperation deal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara might consider sending troops to Libya if the Tripoli government made such a request.

* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas

ISTANBUL

The letter stated that Libya had the right to strike a deal with any country in the world and this right was secured by the international law.

On Dec. 17, Cairo applied to the UNSC, and claiming that the deal between Ankara and Tripoli violated an agreement the UNSC approved in 2011 regarding arming the militants in western Libya.

The letter also claimed that the agreement also violated the Skhirat agreement of Dec. 17, 2015, between the parties in war-weary Libya.

On Nov. 27, Ankara and Tripoli reached two separate memorandums of understanding, one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Following the military cooperation deal, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara might consider sending troops to Libya if the Tripoli government made such a request.

* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas