Erdogan's losses in Libya trapped in the cage of his Ottoman delusions
The Libyan file is of the utmost importance to the
international community, as the United States is trying to reach a solution to
this crisis, at least through diplomatic endeavors, in full agreement with the
Egyptian and European vision to resolve the conflict. This in turn puts global
pressure on Turkey, which wants to drain Tripoli's natural resources, including
oil and gas.
Ceasefire
On Monday, June 22, the US National Security Council
stressed the country's opposition to the military escalation in Libya, calling
on all Libyan parties to abide by the UN resolutions on the ceasefire and the
resumption of negotiations based on the progress made by the UN talks of the
5+5 military committee, the outcomes of the Berlin Summit, and the
recommendations of the Cairo Declaration.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya on June 21,US State
Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus stressed the role of Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s speech regarding strengthening the efforts of Libya and
neighboring regional countries to implement the ceasefire in the country and to
promote internal peace to spare the Libyan people from further conflicts. She
confirmed the United States’ support for the Egyptian efforts to return to
political negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations, pointing out
that the US also supports the cessation of foreign military interference in
Libya, implementing the arms embargoes, and committing to the results of the
Berlin Summit to resolve the crisis peacefully.
Against Erdogan
The US position represents new support for the international
line-up against the Ottoman ambitions in Libya, which in turn affects the
seriousness of the justifications that Erdogan is trying to present to support
his military presence in the region with the help of the Brotherhood. European
countries, led by France and Germany, as well as the United States and Arab
countries, support peaceful solutions to the crisis. This was clearly
demonstrated in the international support for the results of the Berlin Summit,
the United Nations, the Cairo Declaration, and Sisi’s recent speech on the need
to intervene to stop the spread of terrorist and mercenary militias in Libya.
Given this unified
position, which in turn constitutes a burden for Ankara to find allies to
support its presence in Tripoli, the Turkish government seeks to split the
European ranks by wooing Italy to its side, taking advantage of European
differences over a number of internal files. But even this polarization seems
weak. Before the meeting that brought together the foreign ministers of Italy
and Turkey on June 20, Rome signed an agreement to demarcate the maritime
borders with Greece, blocking the road to Erdogan and his expansionist
ambitions in the region, where he seeks to plunder the natural gas wealth in
order to prop up Turkey’s weak production and domestic reserves of crude.
Losing bet
The United States' position in support of the Egyptian,
German, and international initiative to solve the crisis in Libya is a huge
loss for Turkey, as it was counting on the US administration to support it in
Libya through its internal ally, the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by
Fayez al-Sarraj. In May, GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha called on
Washington to build military bases in the country to repel Russian expansion in
the region, which appears to be an attempt by Turkey to find an ally to support
it.
Square zero
In this regard, Mohamed Ezz El-Arab, a researcher at the
Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said in a media statement
that Turkey seeks to bring the US administration to its side on Libya instead
of standing alone, using the file of Russian-African relations to fuel US support
for its demand after congressional voices called for an American presence in
Africa. The recent US position on Libya therefore takes Erdogan back to square
zero.
