The Turkish delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal travelled to Moscow for two days of talks on Libyan and Syrian developments, Turkish foreign ministry said. Among the topics for discussion are permanent ceasefire in Syria as well as demilitarizing Sirte, Jufra regions of Libya, Ahval reported on Wednesday.
Turkey stressed the importance of starting inclusive intra-Libyan political dialogue under the aegis of the UN. Another critical issue is implementing the Berlin Conference resolutions, the Turkish delegation underlined. Mr Onal also said Russia and Turkey decided to maintain contact towards political resolution in Libya.
For a sustainable and permanent ceasefire in the North African country, it will be critical to demilitarize the northern city of Sirte and central region Jufra, a senior Turkish diplomat said Tuesday following talks with Russia on the Libyan conflict.
Emphasizing that the demilitarization process for these regions’ had to be determined, Mr Onal said Turkey had declared its support during the meetings for the efforts of the UN-led 5 5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) among the Libyan sides.
Libya urgently needs a permanent ceasefire
On Aug. 21, Libya announced a ceasefire and ordered the military to stop all combat operations, specifying that the areas of Sirte and al-Jufra must be demilitarized.
Commenting on Syria, the Turkish diplomat said the implementation of joint patrols had been discussed. In fact, the Turkish and Russian delegations agreed to continue joint efforts in accordance with a March ceasefire in the region, which had been declared a de-escalation zone. Onal also stressed the importance of peace talks in Geneva and the need for the Astana Process to be carried forward.
With Turkish support, Libya’s government has turned the tide against the forces of Haftar, while stressing that there was no military solution for Libya.
