Turkey rejects 'baseless' Arab League statement: Foreign Ministry

The Turkish Foreign Ministry rejected a resolution passed by the Arab League's foreign ministry council on Sept. 9, calling the allegations "baseless."

In a statement, the ministry said the attempts of some Arab League countries to target Turkey in order to conceal their agendas do not resonate with the friendly Arab peoples.

"The insistence on this stance, which does not benefit anyone, does not fall in line with the positive steps that have recently been taken," the ministry said, adding that some Arab League member-states also oppose such rhetoric.

The ministry continued by saying that Turkey is one of the leading countries that strive to ensure the protection of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Arab countries.

The statement also said it is unacceptable for the Arab League to criticize Turkey's struggle against threats to its national security and interests. In light of this, Turkey considers the resolution null and void.

The ministry called on the Arab League to move on from such a nonproductive stance and to instead focus on the peace, prosperity and well-being of the Arab people.

The statement in question made by the Arab League condemned Turkey for allegedly interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries, calling on Ankara to stop acts "threatening the stability and security in the Middle East." Moreover, the statement also said Turkey should stop interfering in Libya and stop carrying out operations on Syrian soil.

In November 2019, Turkey and Libya signed a maritime delimitation deal that provided a legal framework to prevent any fait accompli by regional states.

The agreement also confirmed that Turkey and Libya are maritime neighbors. The delimitation starts from Fethiye-Marmaris-Kaş on Turkey’s southwestern coast and extends to the Derna-Tobruk-Bordia coastline of Libya.

While Turkey has supported the U.N.-backed Tripoli-based government, eastern-based forces loyal to putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who battled but failed to seize the capital, have had the backing of Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt.

But a U.N.-backed cease-fire was agreed on last October, paving the way for the establishment in March of an interim administration.

In response, Greece and Egypt signed an agreement in 2020, designating an exclusive economic zone in the Eastern Mediterranean, which Turkey has said infringes on its own continental shelf and overlaps with the maritime zones it agreed with Libya.

However, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said his country’s commitment to the maritime deal with Turkey continues, as he said it benefits Libyans.

In Syria, Turkey launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations to prevent the formation of a terror corridor by the PKK's Syrian offshoot YPG and enable the peaceful settlement of residents – namely operations Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

The YPG terrorist group seized control of large swathes of land in the northern parts of the war-torn country with the Bashar Assad regime’s blessing when clashes intensified in 2012. Since then, frequent attacks carried out in Turkish-controlled parts of northern Syria disturb the peaceful environment and the daily life of locals.

Ankara considers the YPG, which was backed by the U.S.-led anti-Daesh coalition on the pretext of fighting the Daesh terrorist group on the ground, a grave national security threat. The terrorist group has carried out cross-border attacks targeting civilians and continues to pose a threat.

In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.