Egypt, the UAE, Greece, France and Cyprus condemned the Turkish military intervention in Libya, and called on Turkey to fully respect the United Nations arms embargo and stop the flow of foreign fighters from Syria to Libya, saying that these developments “threaten the stability of countries bordering Libya, in Africa and Europe.”
The foreign ministers of the five countries, in a joint statement Monday, expressed their regret over the escalation of violence in Libya, and recalled the commitment to refrain from any military intervention in Libya, according to the outputs of the Berlin Conference.
The joint statement called on the Libyan parties to adhere to the ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan, stressing their commitment to work towards a comprehensive political solution to the Libyan crisis under the auspices of the United Nations, and expressed their desire to resume the meetings outlined by the Berlin conference conclusions (political, military, and economic).
They also reaffirmed that the Memorandums of Understanding between Turkey and the Government of National Accord undermine regional stability, and said that the Memorandum of Understanding on defining maritime borders “violates the sovereign rights of the three countries, does not comply with the maritime laws and cannot have any legal effect.”
The statement condemned the “illegal Turkish activities taking place in the exclusive economic zone and in the territorial waters of the Republic of Cyprus, saying they are a clear violation of international law as per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
The statement also condemned the escalation of Turkish violations in the Greek national airspace, including flying over residential areas and territorial waters in violation of international law, and denounced the exploitation of civilians by Turkey in an attempt to cross the Greek land borders illegally.
The ministers called on Turkey to fully respect the sovereignty of all countries in their maritime areas in the eastern Mediterranean.
