ISTANBUL - Turkey may deploy soldiers in Libya if invited by the internationally backed government there, President Recept Tayyip Erdogan told state-run TRT on Monday. ''The moment there is such an invitation from the Libyan people and administration," Erdogan said in the interview, referring to Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's government in Tripoli, that "gives us the right." He went on to criticise support given to General Khalifa Haftar by Russia, the UAE, and Egypt and said that he would bring up the matter in a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Ankara signed a defense agreement on Nov. 27 in Istanbul aimed at strengthening forces controlled by Sarraj's government in Tripoli, as the Libyan capital comes under attack from eastern-based strongman Haftar. Erdogan then accused countries supporting Haftar of violating a UN arms embargo. Turkey has in the past been accused of providing weapons to militias answering to Tripoli-based forces.