HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has urged the international community to take a firm stance against the violations of international law, not only in Libya but also in all the regions where the law is flouted.
Addressing a joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu that was held in Ankara, HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the conflict in Libya is developing rapidly, noting the latest attacks on Tripoli carried out by illegal forces led by Khalifa Haftar.
The Foreign Minister said that the meeting with the Turkish Minister of foreign affairs discussed bilateral relations, important regional issues and events taking place in the Muslim world that require further consultations and co-ordination.
The Foreign Minister described ties between Qatar and Turkey as strategic and added that they were growing continuously on the political and economic levels.
He said there is continuous co-ordination and exchange of views, especially on economic ties, benefiting the people of the two countries. He added that Qatar and Turkey are working on developing the ties even further.
The Foreign Minister expressed the gratitude of Qatar to Turkey for its tole in leading the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation in light of the changing circumstances in the Muslim world. He highlighted Qatar's support for Turkey in this.
The Foreign Minister said that they also discussed the conflict in Libya.
He said that despite the continuous efforts made by the Government of National Accord, which is recognised by the international community in compliance with Security Council resolutions, and despite all the support provided by the United Nations' mission to reach a political solution, there are those who want to override the international will, in violation of laws to impose a new reality using force.
He urged the international community to take a firm stance against these violations of international law, not only in Libya but in the regions where international laws are violated.
HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said that the international community, which is committed to international law, reacted to developments in Libya by calling for an end to the military operations carried out by Haftar's forces, and a return to the negotiations table in order to reach a political resolution.
The Foreign Minister pointed out that there were some countries who supported Haftar's forces, but also issued joint statements condemning the latest move.
He criticised those actions, saying they were hard to understand. HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani noted that one reason to explain that behaviour is that those countries were looking to respond to the reaction of the international community and show that their position was in line with international law, specially since these joint statements were only issued after the international community rejected the illegal military operations in Libya.
The meeting with the Turkish foreign minister also discussed the latest developments of the Palestinian issue, especially in light of the recent remarks of the Israeli Prime Minister saying he will annex the West Bank. He stressed that such a move is rejected based on international laws and conventions.
For his part, the Turkish minister of foreign affairs said that the talks with HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs focused on bilateral issues that focused on expanding bilateral trade and joint projects in the defense fields. The meeting also focused on the Libyan crisis, the Palestinian issues, developments in Syria and in achieving peace in Afghanistan.
