WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st January, 2020) The presence of external actors in Libya complicate the implementation of the results of the Berlin conference, Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini said during a joint press conference with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Friday.
"We have discussed Libya at length during our meeting. We have shared our concerns about the situation in Libya and also with respect to the recent developments," Guerini said. "We are particularly concerned for the presence of external actors who have increased the level of conflict in Libya and make it difficult to implement the results of the Berlin conference."
On January 19, Berlin hosted an international conference on Libyan reconciliation attended by 16 states and entities, including Turkey, Russia and the United States. A joint communique was adopted at the conference in which the signatories pledged to refrain from assisting their rivals and observe an arms embargo on Libya.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey will maintain a military presence in Libya to support the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in the fight against the rival administration protected by the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Turkey has repeatedly said it stands ready to send troops to train and assist the GNA - a pledge that was facilitated into action by Erdogan signing a memorandum on security and military cooperation with GNA leader Fayez Sarraj in November.
Erdogan has said the Berlin conference communique was void because it lacked the signature of the head of LNA's head Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
