UAE asks Turkey to stop interfering in Arab affairs

Our Correspondent
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash asked Turkey to stop interfering in Arab affairs, and made a reference to the Ottoman Empire which collapsed a century ago. He said that Turkey cannot behave like “the Sublime Porte and use the language of colonialism”. Sublime Porte is a French term to describe the government of the Ottoman Empire which ruled the Arab world for centuries.

The UAE backlash came on August 1 after Turkey spoke of “malicious” actions by the UAE in Libya, where the two countries support opposing sides in its grinding conflict.

“The Sublime Porte and colonialist illusions belong to the archives of history… and relations between states are not conducted with threats,” Gargash wrote.

Earlier, Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar had commented in an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera that “Abu Dhabi does what it does in Libya, does what it does in Syria. All of it is being recorded. At the right place and time, the accounts will be settled.” Qatar and Turkey are close allies, and Al Jazeera adopts a pro-Turkish line.

In late June Dr. Gargash had participated in an emergency ministerial meeting of the Council of the Arab League to discuss developments related to Libya and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

During the virtual meeting, the ministers had discussed events taking place in Libya and threats to Arab national security, as well as Egypt’s concerns over foreign interference by regional powers and the deployment of mercenaries from northern Syria in Libya. They also discussed proposals for a peaceful settlement, with the latest being the Cairo Initiative.

According to Wam, Gargash had then highlighted the UAE’s keenness to unify Libya and the role of Arab countries in achieving a political solution, stressing the importance of an immediate ceasefire, which will pave the way for a comprehensive political solution and the return of security and stability in Libya. He had also noted that it will end the bloodshed, de-escalate the region, and counter Turkey’s interventions that threaten Arab national security, particularly Egypt’s security.

Gargash had then reiterated the UAE’s position on the Libyan crisis is supported by the international community and will lead to a political solution based on United Nations resolutions and the outcomes of the Berlin Conference. He also called on all Libyan parties to immediately respond to Egypt’s ceasefire initiative, re-build their institutions, restore law and order to combat terrorism, and confront foreign interference.