A meeting took place on Monday regarding Egypt’s potential involvement inside of Libya as Turkey expands its power; The Egyptian Parliament approved its military’s intervention.
On Monday, the Egyptian Parliament gave its approval for its military to intervene in Libya. This comes after an urgent request from Libya for Egyptian military forces to prepare for a military conflict with Turkish forces. Turkey has been making its way towards eastern Libya in recent time while Erdogan’s forces continue to intervene in the Libyan civil war.
Egypt’s statement said that the decision was to approve “the deployment of members of the Egyptian armed forces on combat missions outside Egypt’s borders to defend Egyptian national security … against criminal armed militias and foreign terrorist elements.”
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar called for any help being given to Khalifa Haftar to come to an end. He stated on Monday that “It is essential that all kind of help and support given to putschist Haftar – which prohibits ensuring Libya’s peace, tranquillity, security, and territorial integrity – ends immediately.”
Turkey is currently backing the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), which is opposed to Haftar. One of the primary goals of Turkey is to entrench themselves in Sirte, Libya, due to the oil benefits that come with taking that city.
Egypt understands what it means for Turkey to further infiltrate Libya, and the threat it poses to their own security. President El-Sisi spoke with the White House on Monday, emphasizing his belief as to why he needs to confront the issue. In the end, the hope is to maintain a ceasefire in the region, but Egypt stands ready to defend itself in Libya if necessary.
