Trump gently warns Turkey's Erdogan against Libya intervention

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.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

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."