NO. 14

WASHINGTON, DC — American Hellenic Institute (AHI) welcomed a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on “U.S.-Libya Policy” and commends Ranking Member Robert Menendez for his line of questioning critical of Turkey’s role in Libya. 

In his opening statement at the February 12 hearing, Ranking Member Menendez stated the parameters of the widely panned Turkey-Libya maritime agreement “undermine U.S. policies, partnerships, and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.” He added that Turkey has “found a deepened foothold for its longstanding ambitions in the Mediterranean” due to a leadership vacuum in Libya and Turkey is violating the UN arms embargo because of the troops it has deployed in Libya.

Furthermore, Ranking Member Menendez pressed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Christopher Robinson in an exchange on the topic of whether any future Libyan government would forgo the MoU and work with other countries adhering to international law in the search for energy resources. 

Deputy Assistant Secretary Robinson replied, “We don’t want the tensions to escalate, we don’t want any country to take rash actions that will further inflame tensions, so again we are engaged diplomatically with everybody involved in order to deescalate this situation” to which Ranking Member Menendez stated, “There's only one set of parties creating problem - that's Turkey.”  Senator Menendez then pressed Deputy Assistant Secretary Robinson to answer if Greece or Cyprus were parties responsible for raising tensions.  Robinson replied “no” to each.

 “The State Department’s canned talking points about the need for all parties to refrain from elevating tensions in this region are unhelpful and can be construed as appeasing Turkey,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “Senator Menendez was right to press Deputy Assistant Secretary Robinson on it. There is only one party guilty of elevating tensions in the region and that party is Turkey. It is not Greece. It is not Cyprus.”         

 “We thank Ranking Member Menendez for his deep grasp of what is transpiring in the region and the role Turkey plays as a source of instability and threat to peace and security.”