Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron  that Turkey will not attend the Paris conference on Libya, in which Greece, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration will participate in.

This came during their meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Rome.

“France aims to hold a conference on Libya similar to the previous Berlin conference”, Erdogan said on Monday in a press conference. 

In response to a question about Ankara’s participation, Erdogan said “We cannot attend the Paris conference in which Greece, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration participate. We told Macron that if these countries are to attend the conference, then there is also no need to send special representatives”.

Erdogan reiterated to Macron that Turkey's presence in Libya is legitimate and falls under an agreement with the Libyan government, referring to the signing by the former Government of National Accord in November 2019 of two military and economic agreements with Turkey, according to the Turkish newspaper, Daily Sabah.

He also added, "Our soldiers there are instructors," refuting that the Turkish presence in Libya is similar to the presence of illegal mercenaries in the country.

France claims that Paris conference aims to give a final international push so elections are held by year-end and to endorse the departure of foreign forces.