The European Union calls on the warring parties in Libya to immediately cease hostilities and strictly comply with the UN arms embargo. "There is no military solution in Libya," say EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Tensions in Libya are rising now that warlord Khalifa Haftar, who is fighting against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, reported on Monday that his forces have overrun Sirte. Pro-government militias reportedly left the strategically important coastal city on Tuesday to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
Turkey's plans to provide military aid to the Libyan government only increase instability in the country. The condemnation by Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and EU foreign minister Josep Borrell comes a day after the first Turkish troops departed for Libya.
Last Thursday, President Erdogan received permission from the Turkish parliament to send troops to Libya, including military experts and trainers. Erdogan aims to help keep the Libyan capital Tripoli out of the hands of warlord Khalifa Haftar.
Since April, Haftar, supported by a Russian mercenary army, has been conducting an offensive against the UN-backed Libyan government. Similar heavily armed Russian-speaking 'men in green uniforms' have previously appeared in conflicts in eastern Ukraine, Montenegro, and Transnistria. The Libyan former general Haftar has meanwhile conquered most of Libya.
The conflict entered a new phase on Monday after Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) took the strategically located northern port city of Sirte within three hours, partly because a Salafist brigade fighting for the government defected to Haftar and the Russians.
On Wednesday, Turkish President Erdogan will visit his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Although they each support a different side in the Libyan conflict, it is possible they will reach an agreement on Libya. The two countries are playing an increasingly significant role in the Libyan civil war.
If Ankara and Moscow reach a deal, Europe and the United States could be sidelined in the negotiations, just as happened earlier in Syria after an agreement between Turkey and Russia.
On Friday, the 28 EU Foreign Ministers will discuss further steps. They will also talk about developments in Iran, which has declared its withdrawal from the nuclear deal.