Ankara expects that Russia will influence Libyan National Army's (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and convince him to join ceasefire efforts in Libya, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters on Saturday
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2020) Ankara expects that Russia will influence Libyan National Army's (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and convince him to join ceasefire efforts in Libya, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed on a common stance on Libya and called for a comprehensive ceasefire starting midnight January 12. They also urged all conflict parties to begin negotiations.
"After private talks, the presidents [of Russia and Turkey] continued negotiations with foreign and defense ministers, and made a joint statement on the ceasefire in Libya. We said that we would try to influence [Government of National Accord's (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez] Sarraj, while the Russian side [would exercise influence] on Haftar. We contacted the official government, and the same day it expressed agreement. There has been no such statement from Haftar," Cavusoglu said, adding that Turkey was waiting for Russia to fulfill its promise.
Libya's east is controlled by the LNA, while the GNA has been operating in the western part. The situation escalated over the past few months as the LNA launched a new offensive on GNA-held Tripoli. On January 6, the LNA declared full control over the strategic coastal town of Sirte.
