Libyan academic: Libyans defend their country against Turkish occupation and Ottoman expansion
Istanbul – Cairo – North-Press Agency
A Libyan academic said that Libyans are defending their country in the face of an expansionary Ottoman Turkish project, indicating that Turkey no longer cares about Security Council resolutions or even international law.
Dr. Mohammed al-Zubaidi, professor of international law at the Libyan University of Tripoli who currently resides in Cairo, Egypt, said in a private statement to North-Press that Turkey carries out violations against Libyans, and that the Turkish goal is to expand at the expense of vulnerable peoples.
Al-Zubaidi said, "The Turks no longer care about international law or international relations and Security Council resolutions, and they sent Syrian mercenaries to fight alongside the militias of Fayez al-Sarraj (head of the so-called Libyan Government of National Accord), ISIS, and al-Qaeda in Tripoli."
Al-Zubaidi pointed out that "a number of Syrian mercenaries have been captured recently, including one of the leaders of ISIS. The Turks recruit Syrian mercenaries, especially those of Turkmen origin, from northern Syria. They are sent to fight among the militias in Tripoli, and the death toll among them has reached nearly 10,000.”
Al-Zubaidi spoke of the violations committed by Turkish drones against civilians and said that "Turkish drones has committed many crimes against humanity, including targeting civilians, ambulances, goods and vehicles, as well as targeting public transport between one area and another."
As the conflict in Libya intensified, al-Zubaidi explained that what is happening in Libya is the Libyans' defense of their land against Turkish occupation. The Turks occupied Libya for four centuries, from 1511 to 1911, and when they left, they handed Libya over to the Italians under the Treaty of Lausanne.
He continued that "during the four centuries of Turkish occupation, the Turks left no trace but military fortresses. As for developmental or civil projects on the ground, these did not exist, and now Erdogan says that the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 has a duration of 100 years and expires in 2023, so he will return to all the former Ottoman colonies."
He added, "This is their theory…these are their ideas, they want to control Kurdistan, Mosul, Libya, and all the areas that were subject to Ottoman domination, and they want to turn back time and dream of the age of the Ottoman Empire and the previous occupation."
Al-Zubaidi warned that this ideology has Turkey is calling to open the door to new conflicts. If this is accepted, Britain can claim India again and the return of the British crown, and the French will return to their colonies in Africa, as well as the Portuguese, the Spanish, and other countries.
Al-Zubaidi concluded by saying that Erdogan speaks Hitler’s language from the theory of vital field and expansion at the expense of small states and vulnerable peoples. Now Libyans are facing a new Ottoman expansionist project in addition to fighting terrorism. This is a matter of life or death, and all Libyans are lining up behind the armed forces in order to achieve the goal of eliminating the Turkish presence in Libya.
Recently, Turkey stepped up its military intervention alongside the forces of the Libyan Government of National Accord by providing them with drones in addition to Syrian mercenaries who were recruited and forced to fight in Libya in exchange for sums of money ranging between $1,000 and $2,000, according to observers.