EU foreign minister met on Monday (15 June) with their US
counterpart, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, amid a widening
transatlantic rift over Israel and requests from some member states to
step up cooperation on Libya.
During the meeting, some EU member states
brought up the issue of the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean
where the EU is “increasingly concerned about the recent escalations
from Turkey,” EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell told reporters in
Brussels.
“In any case, the situation is becoming worse,” Borrell admitted.
Asked whether Pompeo agreed to send a “transatlantic message” to Turkey,
Borrell said the US side has been “considering the situation in the
Mediterranean, but mainly in relation to the situation in Libya”.
Asked how the US is going to be involved and what other steps could
be taken on Turkey’s behaviour, Borrell said the next EU foreign affairs
minister’s meeting “will put the issue of our relations with Turkey on
the agenda”.
However, while ministers “haven’t gone into detail on the
situation in Libya” during their exchange, EU defence ministers are set
to discuss Libya and Operation Irini on Tuesday (16 June).
“Allies are currently discussing how NATO could support the EU’s new
maritime mission Irini,” a NATO official said. “It is important that the
UN arms embargo is fully implemented.”
NATO member Turkey has strongly backed the Government of National
Accord (GNA) of Fayez al-Sarraj, which in recent weeks has recaptured
all remaining outposts in western Libya from pro-Haftar loyalists, who
had sought to seize the capital Tripoli in a 14-month offensive.
On the other hand, Turkey has reacted negatively to Operation Irini
before, saying it was biased, as there is no similar arms embargo on
Libya’S southern land border, from where it is believed that pro-Haftar
loyalists are getting their weapons to fight the GNA.
Note EU-Digest: "The EU should use their own new combined naval forces IRINI to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya if the US/NATO does not have the courage to tell Turkey's Erdogan to get out of Libya. It The EU should use their own new combined naval forces IRINI to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya if the US/NATO does not have the courage to tell Turkey's Erdogan to get out of Libya. It also shows once again that it is high time for the EU NATO member states to get their own defense force operating asap, and pull out of the outdated and dysfunctional NATO alliance spearheaded by the US . Case in point, NATO member Turkey, even though it is a member of NATO, unfortunately, in name only. For some time now,Turkey under Erdogan's leadership has acted as the "lone ranger".in the NATO. All we have to do is look at is Turkey's invasion of Syria and now Turkey's adventures in Libya. Is Erdogan trying to revive the Ottoman Empire ? ".
Read more:
EU to coordinate request for NATO’s participation in Libya mission – EURACTIV.com
