Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has affirmed his country's firm stance towards the Government of National Accord (GNA) and to continue their support for bringing stability, peace, and prosperity to Libya and its people.

This came during his speech in a virtual international conference on Libya organized by the Turkish think tank for Political, Economic and Social Research "SETA", on Thursday.

The conference was also attended by Libyan Defence Minister, Salah El-Din Al-Namroush, and the Acting Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Williams.

Akar highlighted the Turkish-Libya historical ties and common culture that dates back to 500 years, stressing that his country's goal is to help establish an independent and sovereign Libya, run by the Libyans, which embraces all its citizens without prejudice to its territorial integrity or national unity, according to his statements.

"The GNA has sent messages to the United States, Britain, Italy, Algeria, Turkey and "NATO" after Haftar's militias intensified their attacks on Tripoli, but only Turkey responded positively to their call".

"Based on this invitation and the bilateral agreement, we provide training and advisory support to the legitimate government forces in Libya," he added.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Williams said that the current developments in Libya are promising, but the process remains fragile, confirming that the situation on the ground is still a source of concern.

"The increasing military reinforcements in Libya, the worsening social and economic conditions, especially in light of the high cases of Covid-19 infection, and the obstacles facing the service sector, emphasizes the need to find a peaceful and comprehensive solution as soon as possible."

For his part, the Libyan Defence Minister underscored the government's determination to rebuild the country and to cooperate with other parties to do so.

"The Libyan people have the right to live in peace and security,” said Al-Namroush, stressing that integrating the armed groups with the army, and reforming the security sector is a top priority for the Defence Ministry as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.