Erdoğan using European rifts to serve own agenda in Libya

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan works hard to use European rifts in serving his agenda in Libya.

Soon after the visit Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio made to Ankara on June 20, Turkey worked hard to establish a new alliance on Libya, one that increases inter-European rifts.

It wants to make the aspired alliance serve its own interests in Libya and counter the Arab-Russian alliance that rejects Turkey's presence in Libya.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said his country would continue to work with Italy to find a political settlement to the conflict in Libya.

Nevertheless, Çavuşoğlu also criticized the European naval operation, IRINI, which ensures the implementation of an arms embargo on Libya. The operation, he said, does not contribute to bringing peace to Libya.

Ramifications

Turkey is trying to use the visit of the Italian foreign minister to it in advancing its own agenda in Libya. Rome has been backing the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord at the expense of the Libyan National Army (LNA) since the beginning of the crisis in Libya. In this, it adopts a line opposite to that of France which backs the LNA.

However, a change has apparently happened in Italy's stance on developments in the East Mediterranean. This change is manifest in the maritime boundary delimitation deal it signed with Greece earlier this month. The deal tightens the noose around Erdoğan and makes it hard for him to move ahead with his plans in the region.