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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Turkey Urges Libya to Avoid Steps That Could Renew Clashes

People cross a street at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, July 5, 2021. (Reuters)

Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) said on Wednesday that a “calm in Libya that was achieved through big sacrifices” was an opportunity for peace.

The statement came after an almost 4-hour meeting chaired by President Tayyip Erdogan.

The MGK called on parties involved in Libya to “refrain from steps that could cause new clashes” and urged authorities in the country to “follow democratic processes on a basis of legitimacy for the achievement of lasting peace and stability.”

An interim Government of National Unity, which Ankara backs, was installed last year to oversee the run-up to elections and reunify divided state institutions, according to Reuters.

When the elections collapsed, the House of Representatives parliament in the east, based in Tobruk, said that the government’s term had expired and it designated a new administration and set elections for next year.

However, the prime minister of the unity government said he would only relinquish power after elections, and armed forces backing each side have mobilized around Tripoli, raising fears of another conflict or a return to territorial division.

A date for a new election has not been set.

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