Trump gently warns Turkey's Erdogan against Libya intervention

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 2 January 2020

President Trump would like to suggest Turkey stay out of Libya.

On Thursday, Turkey's parliament approved a measure to send troops to Libya to support its government in its ongoing civil war. Trump called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later that day and, as a White House call readout said, "pointed out that foreign interference is complicating the situation in Libya."

Both Trump and Erdogan "stressed the importance of diplomacy in resolving regional issues" in Thursday's call, per the readout. But that contrasts what Turkey's parliament agreed to on Thursday: Sending Turkish troops to support Libya's United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord. Strong opposition parties voted against the accord, arguing that "Turkey should not get sucked into a murky quagmire," Al Jazeera writes.

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There are no details yet about how many troops will end up in Libya, or when and where they'll be specifically be sent. But it does mark "the latest example of Turkey's growing self-confidence as a regional power," The New York Times says. Erdogan "has long held ambition for a kind of restoration of the Ottoman Empire," the Times continues, and Libya's current government would be more supportive of his "leadership in the Muslim world."

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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