Turkey will support Tripoli against Arab-backed Haftar, says Erdoğan

Turkey will accept Libya's invitation and send troops to the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday.

Speaking in Turkish capital Ankara during a meeting of his ruling AK Party, Erdoğan stated that he would present the bill to deploy troops to Libya when parliament re-opens in January.

"We will provide all kinds of support to the Tripoli government against the coupist general [Haftar], who is supported by various European and Arab countries," he added.

Erdoğan had paid a surprise visit to Tunisia on Wednesday to discuss cooperation for a possible ceasefire in neighbouring Libya, where Ankara supports the internationally recognised government.

The visit comes after Turkey signed an accord with Libya's internationally recognised government last month that seeks to create an exclusive economic zone from Turkey's southern Mediterranean shore to Libya's northeast coast.

Ankara says the deal aims to protect its rights under international law, and that it is open to signing similar deals with other states on the basis of "fair sharing" of resources.