Turkey slams Egypt, UAE for claims it shipped weapons to Libya through Malta

Turkish foreign minister also praised Malta's support for Turkey's bid for EU accession

Turkey's foreign minister MevlutÇavuşoğlu
Turkey's foreign minister MevlutÇavuşoğlu

Turkey's foreign minister has strongly denied claims that Istanbul supplied weapons to the Islamist government in Tripoli via Malta. 

"We never deliver weapons to Libya," Mevlut Çavuşoğlu said when asked by MaltaToday at a press conference. "These libellous claims are coming from Egypt and the UAE, two countries that have provided weapons to Libya."

According to news station Al-Jazeera, pro-Libya Dawn journalist Muhammad Anwar cited a UN report that said that Istanbul was delivering weapons to Libya via Malta.

Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey was in favour of an immediate ceasefire in Libya and that it fully supports UN efforts to quickly find a political solution to the Libyan conflict, rather than a military-based one.

"We must take the necessary steps as soon as possible to combat these radical terrorist groups that threaten our European fundamental values," he said. "European values are threatened by both terrorism and racism, the two feeding into each other,"

He was speaking following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Maltese and Turkish diplomatic academies.

Çavuşoğlu also praised Malta for supporting Turkey's bid for EU accession.

"We want full and equal EU membership and we're willing to negotiate all the necessary chapters for accession," he said. "Turkey already contributes heavily to Europe's stability and foreign policy and its membership will enrich European values."

Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella said that Malta and Turkey have agreed to set up a joint economic and trade commission that will oversee commercial relations between the two countries. He added that Turkish Airlines' decision to increase its flights to Malta, as of this summer, as well as Malta's decision to be more liberal in handing out visas to Turkish citizens will further improve commerce.

The two ministers also discussed the threats posed by Islamic State militants in Syria, Iraq and Libya, the Libyan and Ukrainian crises, and Turkeys potential future as an EU member state. They are set to discuss issues related to migration later on today during a working lunch with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.