Italian defence minister Lorenzo Guerini travelled to Ankara in his first post-lockdown trip to meet with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar. Mr. Guerini called for increased collaboration in a series of dossiers, common to the EU and Turkey as well as NATO, which have been piling up during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The most sensitive matter to require the diplomats’ attention was the ongoing Libyan crisis. Mr. Guerini stressed the need for a lasting ceasefire paving the way to internal diplomacy. Turkey, by contrast, is pushing to support the UN-recognised government of Fayez al Serraj by defeating his opponent, general Khalifa Haftar.
“A military solution for Libya doesn’t exist, a solution involving the division of Libya doesn’t exist,” declared Mr. Guerini at the press briefing.
The EU’s naval operation Irini sits within the framework of international efforts to stabilise Lybia, which has been posed under an arms embargo by the UN. Similarly, NATO operation Sea Guardian strives to increase security in the Mediterranean. Turkey, however, is critical of these operations, as it deems them facilitating factors for general Haftar.
But tensions go further than that, as Ankara’s relations with the EU and NATO have been souring lately. Turkey has been accused of relentlessly pursuing its own interests in the Med, including unwarranted oil drilling operations in Cypriot waters – where French and Italian energy companies Total and Eni are licensed to operate –, the shipping of weapons to Mr. Serraj’s forces, and the disregard for European water boundaries, especially those with Greece.
Mr. Guerini had mentioned last November that the Italian ministry of defence was closely monitoring Turkish drillings in Cyprus, highlighting Italy’s readiness to “defend national interests” in the area. “I hope that every effort is spent towards a balanced solution to the disputes that have emerged,” he said in Ankara, while also adding that “any eventual violation of international laws in the area will be recorded.”
France has recently clashed with Turkey, accusing it of undermining the UN arms embargo by shipping weapons to Libya through a commercial vessel. A French NATO frigate – acting on NATO intelligence – was prevented from inspecting one such vessel by Turkish ships in June. Ankara claimed the vessel was carrying humanitarian aid and accused the French of aggression.
Following the naval standoff and the unwarranted drillings, as well as Turkey’s controversial acquisition of Russian missile system S-400, Paris has withdrawn its support for NATO’s Sea Guardian, offering it to the EU instead. Neither NATO nor Washington commented on the issue. French president Emmanuel Macron called NATO “brain dead” once again.
In a bid to ease tensions, Mr. Guerini stressed that operation Irini is intended to be neutral as well as a fundamental contribution by the EU for the peace process in Libya. He also expressed his support for reinforcing the Atlantic alliance and advocated for joint efforts towards this end.
