Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın discussed developments in Syria and Libya with U.S. President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser Robert C. O'Brien on late Monday, APA reports citing Daily Sabah.
In the phone call, the parties exchanged views regarding Turkey-U.S. bilateral relations, developments in Syria and Libya, and the security situations in both war-ravaged countries.
According to a statement, Kalın told O'Brien that Turkey will continue its efforts to maintain security and stability in the region.
The officials also discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean. The spokesperson told the adviser that Turkey will continue to defend its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.
On Nov. 27, Turkey and Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) signed a bilateral memorandum after a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Istanbul. The deal enables Turkey to secure its rights in the Mediterranean while preventing any fait accompli maneuvers by other regional states.
The memorandum asserts Turkey's rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of unilateral drilling attempts by the Greek Cypriot administration, clarifying that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also has rights to resources in the area.
Fellow regional actor, Greece, did not welcome the deal and even regarded it as a violation of its own rights, though international law deems otherwise. Athens later said it would expel its Libyan envoy Mohamed Younis A.B. Menfi from the country in response.
Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since 2011 when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ousting from office and death of former president Moammar Gadhafi after more than four decades in power.
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