“We regret the detention of our ship in bad weather, which did not violate the arms embargo, and that the crew was treated as criminals during the inspection. We are protesting against unauthorized and violent intervention, “said Hami Aksoy, a spokesman for Foreign Ministry, according to Hürriyet, with demands for compensation. According to him, the entire crew, including the captain, was “forcibly searched, all persons were gathered and detained in one place, and the containers were searched by force, with an armed soldier standing at the captain’s head.”
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During a few hours of careful inspection, no weapons were found, only food and paint, as the captain had claimed all along.
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The spokesman also said that the inspection of a ship in international waters required the consent of the flag state, and that the Security Council resolution on the arms embargo on Libya did not change that. He also complains that Operation Irini was launched without consulting the legitimate Libyan internationally recognized government, Turkey and NATO.
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However, Operation Irini was launched on March 31 this year due to violations of the embargo by several countries. Contrary to the embargo, Turkey supplied dozens of Kirpi armored vehicles and Bayraktar combat drones to the Libyan government, and even sent fighters from Syria there. Another task is to crack down on smugglers from Africa to EU countries.
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Seven countries are involved in the operation – Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Malta, Luxembourg and Greece, whose commander led Saturday’s intervention.
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And the fact that Turkey has helped the internationally recognized government fight the rebellious Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar does not change the validity of the embargo.
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