Turkish Parliament May Consider Use of Armed Forces in Libya - Erdogan's Representative

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish Parliament can consider and possibly agree to use the country's armed forces in Libya, following an agreement on military cooperation, Ibrahim Kalın, the press secretary of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said.

"The events in the world may demand such an approval [for the use of the military]. This is the prerogative of the parliament. But this decision might be taken depending on the circumstances, this might be training the troops or carrying out humanitarian missions. We will consider and take appropriate steps", Kalin told reporters.

Last week, the Turkish parliament ratified a memorandum on military cooperation signed with Libya in November. Earlier that week, the agreement was ratified by Tripoli-based Government of the National Accord (GNA). Under the agreement, Libya could, in theory, receive military aid from Ankara. Erdogan has mentioned the possibility of sending the Turkish military to Libya if Tripoli asks for it.

GNA head Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj accepted Turkey's offer. According to media reports, Turkey has already sent its armed forces, military advisers and equipment to Tripoli.

The situation in Libya escalated over the past weeks as LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced an offensive on GNA-held Libyan capital of Tripoli. The city has already been a battleground of a similar attack in April, leaving hundreds of people killed and thousands more injured.

Libya has been living through a severe political crisis since a coup in 2011 that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi. The two rival administrations have practically turned the oil-rich country into a duopoly, with the LNA controlling the east and the GNA controlling the west, while the south has been recently attracting runaway terrorists from Syria and Iraq.