Turkey Accuses UAE of Sowing Chaos in the Middle East

By Staff, Agencies

Turkey accused the United Arab Emirates of bringing chaos to the Middle East through its interventions in Libya and Yemen, the latest in a war of words between the two countries that is likely to inflame tensions.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was responding on Tuesday to criticism of Turkey's role in the Libyan conflict, shortly after the foreign ministry in Ankara dismissed a declaration by Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, and the UAE that described Turkish military activity in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Libya as seeking "regional chaos and instability".

At the beginning of the year, Turkey deployed military personnel to Libya, and it has helped send Syrian fighters to support the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, while the five countries party to the declaration have supported the forces of commander Khalifa Haftar in the general's attempt to capture the Libyan capital.

The joint missive on Tuesday also condemned Turkish gas-drilling off of the island-nation of Cyprus as "illegal".

Cavusoglu told Turkish broadcaster Akit TV that the UAE, along with Egypt and other countries he did not name, were "trying to destabilize the whole region". But he singled out Abu Dhabi for particular criticism.

"If you are asking who is destabilizing 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."

The UAE, however, did not immediately respond to Cavusoglu's criticism.