ANKARA, December 22. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday Ankara is ready to offer more military support to Libya’s Government of National Accord if need be.

"If it is necessary, we will increase the military aspect of our support to Libya," he said at a ceremony of setting afloat Turkey’s first Type 214 class submarine TCG Piri Reis at the Golcuk military wharf in northwestern Turkey.

Erdogan also stressed that Ankara will stay committed to the memorandums with the Government of National Accord on military cooperation and delimitation of maritime borders. "Turkey will not refuse from actions in Syria and will not roll back the memorandums with Libya. Memorandums of understanding with Libya comply with Turkey’s legislation and norms of international law. They are based on the maps drawn about ten years ago," he added.

Turkey and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord signed a memorandum of understanding on November 28 in Istanbul. The document provides for military cooperation, including training of military personnel subordinate to the Tripoli government and strengthening of ties between the parties’ military. It also stipulates delimitation of maritime zones between the countries and provides for a possibility for Turkey’s exploratory activities in Libya’s exclusive economic zone. Libya’s parliament branded these agreements as illegitimate and called on the United Nations to revoke Sarraj’s international mandate. It also turned to the Arab League asking to use collective defense provisions to respond to the threat of aggression.

Currently, Libya has two supreme executive authorities, namely the internationally-recognized Tripoli-based Government of National Accord headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and the interim government of Abdullah al-Thani, seated in the east of the country, along with the elected parliament, which is supported by the Libyan National Army.

In early April, Field Marshal of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar announced the launch of an offensive against Tripoli. Sarraj ordered all military units loyal to him to gear up to defend the capital. The armed confrontation has results in hundreds of human deaths and destruction of vital infrastructure facilities. Thousands had to flee their homes. On December 12, Haftar announced the launch of a win-the-war offensive against Tripoli.