Turkey will not participate in the Paris International Conference on Libya scheduled for 12 November, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he told reporters on Monday.
Erdogan said cited the presence of Greece, Cyprus and – as he claimed – Israel as the reason for refusing to attend the conference.
“France aims to hold a conference on Libya similar to the previous Berlin conference”, Erdogan said on Monday in a press conference.
In response to a question about Ankara’s participation, Erdogan said “We cannot attend the Paris conference in which Greece, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration participate. We told Macron that if these countries are to attend the conference, then there is also no need to send special representatives”.
The Turkish President also insisted that the presence of his troops in Libya is legitimate and decried acquitting Turkish forces with other foreign forces present in the country.
It is noteworthy that the Paris-hosted conference aims to ensure that the Libyan elections are held on schedule as well as the “departure of foreign forces and mercenaries,” according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.