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Jens Stoltenberg made a statement that has undoubtedly caused serious concern in Athens regarding his policy in Libya. NATO Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that the Alliance was ready to support the internationally recognized government based in Tripoli and that it should not be treated in the same way as the forces by Khalifa Haftar. , which is clearly backed by Greece. In the same context, Stoltenberg reiterated Turkey’s importance to NATO.
Subsequently, Stoltenberg was quoted as saying that his statements were made in a different context and that NATO’s position on Libya had not changed. In fact, after a phone conversation between the Secretary General and Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday May 14 at the request of the Turkish President, NATO issued a statement reiterating the firm position of the company in 2018. NATO is ready to provide assistance. in matters of security and defense if requested by the Government of National Unity (GNA).
With its announcement, the Greek Foreign Ministry did not hide its discomfort, albeit covert. “The NATO Secretary General is fully committed to the common positions of the Commonwealth, which are known to have been adopted unanimously. The content of his recent interview in an Italian newspaper, as captured, obviously does not express the positions of the Alliance, “said its representative Alexandros Gennimatas in a characteristic way. “Greece,” he added, “has already made the necessary comments through its Permanent Mission to NATO and has received assurances that the specific statements of the Secretary-General have not been properly delivered.”
When asked by an Italian journalist about Turkey’s agenda in Syria and Libya, which contradicts his partners, Stoltenberg said: “There are 30 partners in NATO and there are different positions on many issues.” , but Ankara is still an important partner. In Libya and Syria, we support the efforts of the United Nations to reach a peace agreement. In Libya, there is an arms embargo that all parties must respect. However, this does not mean that we must treat the forces led by Haftar and the Fagez al-Saraz government, the only recognized United Nations, in the same way. That is why NATO is ready to support the Tripoli government. “
Athens supports Khalifa Haftar in the Libyan civil war, believing that in this way there is hope that the Memorandum of the Turkish-Libyan Maritime Zone will be annulled should it prevail. In this context, it has joined forces with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, calling for the full implementation of the UN resolutions on the arms embargo, although the invocation of these decisions by the UAE is hypocritical due to the massive assistance that offer aside. Haftar, equal to or broader than what Turkey illegally offers to the Tripoli government.
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