Libya conflict Turkey slams France

ANKARA: Turkey on Tuesday blasted France’s "destructive" approach to the conflict in Libya and accused it of seeking to increase Russian presence there.

It was the latest in a string of increasingly testy exchanges between the two Nato allies over the issue. "France, which Macron governs or rather which he can’t manage to govern at the moment, has been in Libya only for its own interests and ambitions with a destructive approach just like it pushed Africa to instability in the past with a colonialist approach, and like it bombed and quit Libya in 2011," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.

Cavusoglu also said France was working against Nato and in favour of Russia in Libya. "On one side, Nato sees Russia as a threat but on the other side Nato ally France is working to increase Russia’s presence there," he said. Macron on Monday accused Turkey of "criminal responsibility" over its involvement in the Libyan conflict. Oil-rich Libya was thrown into chaos after dictator Moamer Qadhafi was ousted in a 2011 Nato-backed uprising.