Davutoglu smacks Erdogan with scathing remarks again

Emira al-Sherif

The website Turkey Alaan has shed light on the statements of former Turkish Prime Minister and Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoglu, who first broke his silence and called on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to work to avoid a clash with Egypt.

Since Davutoglu founded his new party months ago, he has not stopped scathingly criticizing his former ally, amid expectations that the Future Party will attract some Justice and Development Party (AKP) members.

Addressing his former ally and current archenemy, Davutoglu said, “Sit down and talk to Egypt if necessary,” adding, “I must talk about what is going on behind the scenes. A confrontation between Egypt and Turkey in Libya will not be good for Turkey. But it is not right to withdraw from Libya because Egypt or others want it. Turkey’s abilities should be used wisely.”

In this context, the former prime minister gave several pieces of advice to the Turkish president on how to manage the battle in Libya in a “wise” manner, noting the need to improve “relations with neighboring countries and maintain the western line.” He added that France is not the only representative of the European Union in Libya, and therefore Turkey should improve relations with Italy and Germany.

Davutoglu continued, advising Erdogan “to take into account the consequences of increasing the effectiveness of the United States and Russia. Sit openly and talk with Russia, and tell them when we cooperate in Syria, do not shoot us in Libya. If you reach a reasonable result, let us sit and talk with Egypt.”

In response to rumors spread on social media that he abandoned the cause, Davutoglu said, “I said it once, and I say it again, we have not abandoned the cause, we have abandoned those who abandoned the cause. We abandoned those who created the rich and who brought their relatives to power.”

Meanwhile, Erdogan’s former ally also criticized the exclusionary policy of the ruling AKP and its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), saying, “When they (AKP and MHP) got 51% of the votes, they became representatives of an authoritarian and exclusionary understanding of 49% of the people, betraying anyone who thinks differently than them.”

It is noteworthy that Egypt had confirmed that it would continue to monitor the situation seriously and take decisive measures to ensure its national security and Arab security.

Egyptian Deputy Parliament Speaker El-Sayed El-Sherif said in a television interview, “A closed session will be held in Parliament to take a decision regarding granting authorization to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to send Egyptian forces to Libya.”

“In these situations, there is no majority or opposition; we are all one vote to support our Egyptian state in facing these risks,” Sherif said.

Egypt does not shy away from its view of what is happening in its backyard or what it described as its red lines, as it is watchful over the developments surrounding the Libyan city of Sirte amid reports confirming the buildup of forces supported by Ankara in order to advance towards the coastal city.

This was clarified by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday evening, when he stressed that “the situation and developments in Libya, the foreign interventions, the pursuit by extremist militias, and bringing foreign extremist fighters to the area constitutes a serious threat to Egyptian and Arab national security.”

While Egypt seeks to push towards a political solution and find a Libyan consensus that leads to preserving the country’s unity, stability, security and safety away from the interference of extremist militias and foreign parties, Turkey continues to push towards a military escalation.

Turkey has sent missiles to support the Government of National Accord (GNA) militias in preparation for attacking Sirte and the Jufra airbase, according to media reports quoting Turkish military sources.

The newspaper Milliyet confirmed that the Turkish armed forces continue to provide logistical support and military equipment to the GNA, and two military cargo planes were sent to the Al-Watiya and Misrata bases in western Libya.

This comes at a time when Libya, which has the largest oil reserves in Africa, is witnessing an ongoing conflict that has intensified in recent months due to the Turkish interference since last November after the signing of a military agreement with the GNA in Tripoli.