German scholar: ‘Why Turkey-Libya MoU won’t be implemented’
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
The view that the Turkey-Libya MoU signed last November by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan with Prime Minister Fayetteh al-Saraj will not be implemented according to a German internationalist speaking of the civil war in Libya, its geopolitical opportunities and its geopolitical dangers.
As pointed out in an interview with German Radio and Television Deutschlandfunk by the director of the German Institute of Science and Politics Volker Perthes, Turkey’s interests in Libya are many and different: “One of the main interests is to influence. Specifically, influence in Libya where civil war rages, influence in the eastern Mediterranean, influence on tug of war between the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the one hand, and Turkey and Qatar on the other. But it is also about the confrontation between Russia and Turkey in an area once dominated by their former empires, that is, the Ottoman and Russian ones, “the political scientist said.
Apart from these issues, of course, the purely economic interests have been pointed out by the scholar, referring to the memorandum of understanding signed by Turkey and Libya on the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone. “(Erdogan) He has secured something from a government that can do little. While the government in Tripoli is internationally recognized, it has no ability to control the maritime areas on its shores. What happened here is a political agreement to the detriment of third countries that did not participate although they should have participated. Greece and Cyprus in particular, since their own international zones, from their own territorial waters, pass through the corridors, which Turkey and Libya have put on the map. In this context, it is unlikely that this agreement ever signed by Turkey and Libya on the maritime areas and underlying resources will ever be implemented. ”
Turkey is troubled partner for the EU
Concerning Angela Merkel’s diplomatic efforts and the potential for meaningful intervention by European countries, Volker Perthes commented, “According to DW,” Libya is not the only problem for EU countries, especially Germany with Turkey. On the contrary, we could say that in the matter of Libya, Turkey is doing or proclaiming something that is legal under international law. Because there is a call for help from an internationally recognized government in Tripoli. And Erdogan says he will respond to that call.
Under international law this is legitimate, unlike what Turkey is doing in northern Syria. When you have a troubled partner, such as Turkey, then what the chancellor does, that is, stay in touch, is probably appropriate even if it has limited chances of success. “
