Turkey has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of “bringing chaos” to the Middle East through its interventions in Libya and Yemen, claims which are likely to stoke further tensions between the two regional rivals.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Akit TV on Tuesday that the UAE, Egypt and other countries were “trying to destabilise the whole region”.
Cavusoglu also accused France of “attempting to be the patron of this axis of malice”.
“If you are asking who is destabilising this region, who is bringing chaos, then we would say Abu Dhabi without any hesitation,” he said. “It is a reality that they are the force that unsettled Libya and destroyed Yemen.”
Turkey has sent military personnel to Tripoli to support the internationally recognised government, also known as the GNA. It has also assisted in sending Syrian fighters to bolster GNA lines.
Meanwhile, the UAE and Egypt have backed eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) has been trying to storm the Libyan capital and unseat the GNA government.
