ALGIERS, Jan 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Libyan crisis could not be solved by “military means”, after talks Sunday with his Algerian counterpart in Algiers.
Erdogan, accompanied by a high-level business delegation, was greeted at Algiers airport by his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the national news agency APS reported.
Algeria, which shares a 1,000-kilometre border with Libya, is trying to mediate a political settlement to the conflict gripping its neighbour that threatens regional stability.
“We have said from the beginning that the Libyan crisis would not be resolved through military means,” Erdogan told reporters after meeting Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
“We are in intense negotiations with the countries of the region and with international actors to secure the ceasefire and facilitate the return to political dialogue in Libya,” Erdogan told reporters.
The visit comes after Erdogan accused Eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar of violating the truce between his troops and forces loyal to the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
Fighting has abated in the past weeks but picked up at the weekend at the frontline in southern Tripoli, where artillery fire could be heard. More than 150,000 people have been displaced by the months of fighting.
Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) faction aims to capture the capital, Tripoli, through the backing of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russian mercenaries and African troops.
Turkey sent military advisers and trainers to help the GNA fend off Haftar’s assault on Tripoli.
Algiers, for its part, has taken on a role as mediator and last week hosted a meeting of Libya’s neighbours that rejected “any foreign interference” and called for a negotiated settlement. — NNN-AGENCIES