Libya crisis cannot be solved by ‘military means,’ Erdogan says after Algeria talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the Libyan crisis cannot be solved by “military means.” He made the statement after talks on Sunday with his Algerian counterpart in Algiers.

Algeria shares a 1,000-km (620-mile) border with Libya, and is trying to mediate a political settlement to the conflict which is gripping its neighbor and threatening regional stability.

“We have said from the beginning that the Libyan crisis would not be resolved through military means,” AFP quoted Erdogan as saying after meeting Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. “We are in intense negotiations with the countries of the region and with international actors to secure the ceasefire and facilitate the return to political dialogue in Libya,” Erdogan added.

Ankara has sent military aid to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli. Algiers last week hosted a meeting of Libya’s neighbors that rejected “any foreign interference” in the country and called for a negotiated settlement.