State Dpt.: Libya’s caretaker government can’t sign deals like Turkey memorandum

The State Department is falling in line with the UN Security Council on the issue of the two agreements signed by Turkey with the caretaker government of Libya. His representative repeated that the interim government in Tripoli cannot sign such agreements.

Earlier, the Security Council also indirectly but clearly expressed its opposition to the Turkish-Libyan memoranda and referred to Article 6 of the Libya Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), which does not allow the caretaker government to sign such agreements.

For his part, a representative of the State Department said in response to a question from state news agency APE-MPE that Libya must, based on the commitments it has undertaken, not sign new agreements that disrupt the country’s external relations or entail long-term obligations.

“We note that the Libyan caretaker government is obliged under the provisions of the Libya Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) road map not to consider new agreements that harm the stability of the foreign relations of the Libyan state or impose long-term obligations on it,” he said.

“We will refer you to the governments of Turkey and Libya on the outcome of the recent talks. We call on all parties to refrain from actions that risk escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he added.

Additionally, on the issue of energy, the representative expressed the position that many high-ranking officials have expressed in the wake of the successful American mediation that took place to determine the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon. “It is our long-standing belief that the development of resources in the Eastern Mediterranean should promote cooperation and provide the foundation for sustainable energy security and economic prosperity throughout the region,” he said.