Fighters of UN-backed government forces are seen in Southern Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 12, 2020. Libya's UN-backed government and the eastern-based army on Sunday accused each other of breaching the cease-fire in southern Tripoli. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua)

 

Turkey said on Wednesday it was too early to say whether a cease-fire in Libya had collapsed after Khalifa Haftar, commander of eastern Libyan forces, failed to sign a binding truce accord at talks this week.

Russo-Turkish talks in Moscow have aimed to halt Haftar's nine-month campaign to seize the Libyan capital Tripoli from forces aligned with the internationally recognized government of Fayez al-Serraj.

Serraj, whose embattled government has struggled to repel the nine-month campaign, signed the truce proposal but Haftar left Moscow without adding his signature. He has not commented since then whether he will sign it or not.

Since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in a 2011 uprising, the North African country has been in turmoil, with outside powers providing support to ­rival factions.

Turkey backs Serraj's government, while Haftar has received support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Russian mercenaries.

"We cannot say that the cease-fire has collapsed, it's much too early for such an interpretation," Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters in Ankara. He added that Ankara was awaiting the outcome of diplomacy by Moscow, which has relations with Serraj even as it has given support to Haftar.

Turkey has sent a training and cooperation team which is now active in Libya, Akar said. Turkey committed to military support for the Tripoli government in December after the arrival of Russian mercenaries helped Haftar's Libya National Army make some small gains along the Tripoli frontline.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey would "teach a lesson" to Haftar if his attacks on the Tripoli-based government continued.

The nine-month war over Tripoli is just the latest bout of chaos in Libya, an OPEC oil exporter that has become a hub for human traffickers to ship migrants by boats to Italy, while Islamist militants have exploited the widespread disorder.