Borrell said that if an EU ship reinforcing the arms embargo spots an arms shipment, it will be able to stop it. They won’t be there “for a promenade.”
Interesting enough, the foreign ministers did not spear a word about monitoring ongoing military cooperation between Turkey and the Al-Sarraj government in Tripoli.
Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) are battling fighters from eastern commander Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA).
Haftar’s forces launched an offensive in April to take the capital Tripoli, but are being held back by the GNA forces.
‘The arms embargo has become a become a joke’
Libya has been under an arms embargo since the 2011 uprising that led to the removal and killing of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The embargo has been regularly violated by different groups, according to the United Nations.
Since 2014, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have provided the LNA with military equipment including aircraft and helicopters, while Moscow has provided mercenaries.
The GNA is being supported by Qatar and Turkey, which has sent as many as 2,000 fighters from Syria.
On Sunday, Stephanie Williams, the UN deputy special envoy for Libya, said the UN-backed arms embargo had become a joke and the country’s financial position was deteriorating rapidly, after foreign ministers met in Munich to try to enforce a ceasefire between the two warring sides.
Last week, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for enforcement of the arms embargo and a ceasefire.
Williams said: “The arms embargo has become a become a joke. We all really need to step up here.
“It’s complicated because there are violations by land, sea and air, but it needs to be monitored and there needs to be accountability.”
Last month, Turkish frigates were spotted escorting military equipment to Libya.
