Turkish, British defense chiefs discuss East Med, Libya

ANKARA

Turkey's defense chief and his British counterpart spoke over the phone Friday about recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.

Hulusi Akar and Ben Wallace spoke amid escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean between Turkey and Greece.

On disputes over maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, Akar on Thursday stressed that Turkey would not usurp anyone's land or sea, but at the same time, would not allow any attack on its territory.

Turkey has long opposed efforts of various countries to exclude it from its rightful maritime jurisdiction and deprive it from exploring energy resources in the region, despite having the longest coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey and Libya signed a landmark deal last November laying out maritime boundaries between the two countries.

Libya's internationally recognized government has been under attack by warlord Khalifa Haftar's forces since April 2019, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence.

With Turkish support, Libya’s government has recently turned the tide against the forces of Haftar.