NATO | Ready to support the government of Saratz – Athens Reacts

Defence Redefined

Published on 15/05/2020 at 15:44

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made statements about the Libyan civil war on Thursday May 14, noting that NATO is ready to support the official government of Tripoli.

“There is a weapons embargo in Libya with which all sides must comply. This does not mean that the UN-recognized government of Fagez al-Saraj and Haftar can be in the same equation. Therefore, NATO is ready to support the government of Tripoli,” Stoltenberg told Italian La Repubblica.

Asked to comment on the fact that Turkey is pursuing its own agenda in Libya and Syria, despite being a member of NATO, Stoltenberg said, “We are 30 countries in NATO and we can have different positions on different issues, but Ankara is an important ally. We support UN peacekeeping efforts in Libya and Syria.”

On Friday May 15, Athens made recommendations on the content of the interview of the Secretary General of NATO on the developments in Libya.

According to a statement from Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Gennimata, the content of the recent NATO Secretary-General’s interview with an Italian newspaper on Libya “obviously does not reflect the Alliance’s position”.

“The Secretary-General of NATO is fully bound to the alliance’s common positions, which are known to be adopted unanimously. Greece has already made the necessary remarks through its Permanent Delegation in NATO and has received assurances that the Secretary-General’s specific statements have not been properly delivered,” Mr Gennimatas concluded.

With information from CNA