TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (MNA) – Turkish defense minister has defended his country's military presence in Liybia, saying that there will be no solution to instability in Lybia without Ankara.

 In Libya, “there will be no solution” to instability “without Turkey, which wants to create a unified army”, Ankara Defense Minister Yasar Guler said in an interview with the Turkish media.

“We continue to carry out all our activities there with the motto that ‘Libya belongs to the Libyans’. We want to establish a single army. We have five military training centers, for cooperation and advice,” he added.

On Nov. 27, 2019, Ankara and Tripoli signed two MoUs; one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Both deals drew wide international criticism as it paved the way for Turkish foothold in Libya and infringed upon the maritime borders of third countries, according to the "Libya Update" website's report.

MNA/PR