Turkey, NATO to continue supporting Afghanistan: FM

Turkey and NATO will continue supporting Afghanistan as long as Kabul seeks their help, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Idrees Zaman, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Afghanistan has been going through a “sensitive time”.

He said some international attempts for peace in Afghanistan have failed and voiced hope that the efforts would activate a positive process among Afghans.

“We will maintain our presence and support in Afghanistan as long as it needs Turkey and NATO,” Cavusoglu added.

Cavusoglu said after the signing of a maritime pact between Turkey and Libya, Greece’s contact with East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar was “not legitimate”.

On Nov. 27, Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) signed the bilateral memorandum.

The memorandum asserts Turkey’s rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of unilateral drilling by the Greek Cypriot administration, clarifying that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to the resources in the area.

Since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed, Libya has seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, to which military commander Khalifa Haftar is affiliated, and the Government of National Accord, which enjoys UN recognition.

Cavusoglu said the only legitimate government in Libya is the UN-recognized government in Tripoli under Fayez al-Sarraj.

“If Greece wants to do something with [Libya], it actually needs to contact with Tripoli,” he added.