House condemns Turkish arms sales to Libya

The House plenum on Friday unanimously condemned Turkey’s decision to sell arms and dispatch troops to Tripoli in violation of the UN and EU embargo on Libya and called for the UN to take action and sanctions against those responsible.

It also called on the government to provide humanitarian aid to the Libyan people.

In the resolution it unanimously adopted, the House plenum also expressed its concern over the latest escalation of “Turkish aggressiveness” and also expressed its solidarity with Greece and Egypt, the two countries most affected by the Turkish-Libyan memorandums of understanding.

The House also condemned the recent sales of Turkish weapons to the militia of the Serraj government.

It called on the UN to monitor the implementation of the UN and EU arms embargo on Libya by Turkey so that sanctions can be imposed where appropriate, at least within the EU.

Last November, Ankara signed two separate accords with the internationally recognised Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Serraj, one on security and military cooperation and another on maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean. The agreements stirred strong reactions by Greece, Cyprus and Egypt which argue they are void.

Libya’s eastern-based parliament backed by Libyan National Army forces led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar has rejected the accords reached with Turkey.

Libyan House Speaker, Aguila Saleh was in Cyprus last month where he met with Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides and House president Demetris Syllouris.

He reportedly asked Christodoulides to convey the message to the EU that the Libyans needed to decide their future for themselves.

Speaking after his meeting with Syllouris, Saleh said he asked the house president to help them make clear what is going on in Libya to the EU arguing that the internationally recognised GNA had failed completely in governing the country given that it has not received the confidence of the House of Representatives.

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