Turkey claimed that the ship was carrying various materials such as food and paint, adding that the German inspection team "violated international law" by not waiting for permission from Turkey. Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Germany's implementation of the inspection of the ship, which Ankara claimed was a merchant ship. The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of the European Union, Italy, and Germany, according to Al-Arabiya, in protest against the attempt to inspect a Turkish ship in search of weapons heading for Libya. According to the EU, IRINI’s main objective is to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya through the use of maritime, aerial, and satellite assets. Civil war broke out in Libya after the toppling of long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, who was later killed.

Source: Libya Today November 24, 2020 14:03 UTC