Egypt committed to helping Libyans ‘rid their country of terrorist organizations’

Egypt is committed to helping Libyans “rid their country of armed militias and terrorist organizations, and put an end to the blatant interference of some regional parties.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said this at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Libya descended into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Since 2014, it has been split, with an internationally recognized government controlling the capital, Tripoli, and the northwest, while military leader Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi rules the east.

According to AFP, Turkey on Monday lashed out at an EU decision to sanction one of its companies for allegedly breaching a UN arms embargo on Libya, calling it “extremely unfortunate.”

“At a time when efforts are made to reduce tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, making such a wrong decision is extremely unfortunate,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The decision has “no value” in the eyes of Turkey, it added.

EU foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on three companies — one Turkish, one Kazakh and one Jordanian — on Monday during a meeting in Brussels, diplomatic sources told AFP.