Turkish Parliament Backs Troops Deployment To Libya

Turkish troops are going to Libya after Parliament, on Thursday passed a motion authorising the government to deploy them in support of the UN-backed government.

The lawmakers voted on the motion in an emergency session. The motion was approved with 325 votes in favour and 184 against.

The Bill was supported by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and Felicity Party.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Good Party and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), have objected to the motion arguing that Turkey should search for a diplomatic solution in Libya instead of getting involved in the conflict.

The motion, however, envisaged a one-year mandate to deploy troops on the grounds that developments in the North African country threaten Turkey’s interests, including Turkish businesses and its vessels sailing in the Mediterranean.

According to the motion, sending troops to Libya aims to prevent illegitimate mass migration threat and formation of a favourable environment for terrorist organizations and armed groups.

It added that the government would decide on the size, timing, and scope of the deployment.

Libya has been locked in a civil war, splitting power between two rival governments, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), based in capital Tripoli and another in the North-Eastern city of Tobruk. Tobruk is allied with the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar.

In December, Turkey sealed a controversial maritime boundaries delimitation agreement with the GNA along with a security cooperation deal.