France has put a powerful threat against Turkish President Erdoğan saying that they will not tolerate Turkey’s military intervention in Libya.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Turkey is playing “a dangerous game.”
Turkey’s intervention in Libya to support the Muslim Brotherhood Government of National Accords based in the capital of Tripoli, has prompt up jihadist forces by providing funds, arms and a fresh batch of terrorists from Syria to fight in the North African country.
“I have already had the opportunity to say very clearly to President Erdoğan, I consider that Turkey is playing a dangerous game in Libya today and going against all of its commitments made at the Berlin conference,” Macron said in a statement alongside Tunisian president Kais Saied. “We won’t tolerate the role that Turkey is playing in Libya.”
France supports the Libyan National Army headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar. The LNA is also backed to varying degrees by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Greece,
When speaking about Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Macron said the Egyptian leader had legitimate reasons to be worried about Turkey’s aggression in Libya.
“You noted the legitimate concern of President Sisi when he sees troops arriving at his border,” Macron said.
“This is a Mediterranean subject that affects us because today from Libya each day men and women are fleeing misery to come to Europe. Do you think we can let Turkey for a long time import Syrian fighters to Libya given everything we know?” Macron questioned.
On May 27, Cirkin, a mysterious freighter usually sailing in the Black Sea, was flying the Tanzanian flag and claimed to be going to the port of Gabès in Tunisia. After carrying out several strange maneuvers, including one to conceal its identification, the Forbin, a French frigate, decided to approach it to conduct an inspection to execute the arms embargo placed against Libya.
Two Turkish frigates accelerated to protect the cargo and prevented the French from carrying out the inspection. The freighter, supposed to deliver medicine to Tunisia, docked in the Libyan port of Misrata to deliver M-60 tanks, Hawk missiles and mercenaries.
A few days later, it was the turn of Courbet, another French ship, this time under NATO command, to try to approach Cirkin. But one of the Turkish frigates who came once more to the rescue of the freighter, activated its fire control radar against the French vessel.
