Turkish FM warns of impending ‘chaos’ in Libya and pushes to send troops quickly

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has expressed concern over the security situation in Libya, as Ankara steps up its efforts to seek parliamentary approval to send troops to the North African nation.

“We need to do whatever is needed to prevent Libya from being divided and sliding into chaos, and that is what we are doing,” the foreign minister told the ruling AK Party, warning that the region would face grave security threats if Libya “becomes like Syria”.

Cavusoglu is scheduled to meet with opposition party leaders on Monday.

The Turkish parliament has already approved a security cooperation agreement with Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which entails joint training and armament transfers.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this week that Turkey had been asked to send troops to fight Libyan forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar, a claim which Tripoli has so far not officially confirmed.