Whose plunder is this time sinking into the cool waters of the Mediterranean?

On Saturday, members of the “Association of Libyans Living in Istanbul” visited me in Istanbul for a pre-arranged meeting. One of the topics of discussion was the new regulations regarding residence permit types and durations recently published by the Directorate General of Migration Management.

Although small in number, there is a highly qualified Libyan community in Istanbul. They are all well-off individuals with important contacts and investments. Without being a burden to Turkey at all, and indeed holding views that attach special importance to helping shoulder Turkey's burden, they are immensely grateful for the humanitarian approach Turkey has displayed toward Libyans in their difficult times, just as it has toward all oppressed peoples. They exhibited this sense of gratitude in the most noble manner recently when caring for the family of their close friend Abdulazim Milad Elfaravi, who sacrificed his life to save two Turkish citizens from drowning.

As is known, many Turkish philanthropists called regarding Elfaravi, wanting to contribute to his family and asking for their contact information. Truth be told, when I conveyed this to my Libyan friends, their response brought tears to my eyes: “Turkey, with its people and state, has already done us a great kindness by standing by us in our difficult times. Thank God, as Libyans, we are capable of meeting all the needs of the loved ones left behind by our martyr. May God preserve Turkey and grant strength, power, and leadership to its President, people, and state. When Turkey is strong, the oppressed all over the world regain hope and feel safe.”

My Libyan visiting friends had requested an appointment to express the issues they were experiencing in Turkey, yet they explained with great enthusiasm how joyful they were over the “Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas” agreement signed between Turkey and Libya a few days prior, expressing how deeply grateful they were to Turkey and President Erdoğan for it. Amid the gloomy atmosphere that has prevailed ever since the post-Qaddafi revolutionary process in Libya was disrupted by the Haftar coup supported by certain international powers, they had witnessed such a gratifying development for the first time.

It is clear that the agreement concluded with Libya has thwarted all the plunder and partition plans pursued in the Eastern Mediterranean over the past decade. Against the cunning meddling of those trying to sideline Turkey from this division by denying its rights and creating faits accomplis through de facto situations, this move by Turkey has exposed the usual plunder bloc opposing it. By finally announcing that it will not permit a partition that disregards its own rights in the Mediterranean and signaling that it will constitute the main weight of the balance, Turkey has triggered severe panic within the plunder bloc.

However, alongside the aspect of this recent event that safeguards Turkey's rights, there is also a dimension concerning Libya's rights that were being quietly stolen, and my Libyan guests expressed this with full clarity.

My Libyan guests also pointed out that the bloc opposing the agreement between Turkey and Libya is the very same bloc supporting Haftar. Naturally, this is not surprising at all. The secret behind why France—which spares no grand rhetoric on democracy and human rights when convenient—supports the coup-plotter Haftar, who is committing crimes against humanity against Libya's legitimate government, lies right here on the surface. How else could Haftar, who seeks to steal the free will of the Libyan people through his coup, secure the backing of France, the US, Israel, and the UAE? What promise could he possibly offer to secure this support other than handing over all the riches of the Libyan people to this bloc?

This support provided to such a former general, whose commission of war crimes is documented in UN records, clearly pursues no aim other than the overt plundering of the wealth of the Libyan people. Moreover, no matter what they do for the "counter-terrorism" mission assigned to Haftar in order to grant him even a feeble legitimacy, they cannot even create a sufficient "pretext of terror" in Libya. Terrorism itself is nothing other than what Haftar and those supporting him are doing.

Furthermore, they excel at refusing even to admit into their countries the people forced to flee Libya—which they rendered uninhabitable through the environment of terror they created by eyeing its oil—and instead burying them in the cool waters of the Mediterranean.

Through the de facto situation attempted to be created via Haftar, the systematic plundering of the wealth of the Libyan people is ensured. France, Greece, Israel, and the UAE are all part of this plunder. They all currently oppose the agreement signed between Turkey and the legitimate government of Libya, because this agreement, while securing Turkey's rights, ensures to an even greater extent that Libya's resources remain with the Libyan people. Otherwise, Libya's rights in the Mediterranean would have continued to be plundered by the alliance of pillagers without giving a single dime to the Libyan people.

That is why the Libyan people are also extremely pleased with this agreement. What those who suffer losses from this agreement have lost are not their own rights, but merely the plunder to which they had no right in the first place. Let them weep; it suits them better.