Mojnews-Ankara on Wednesday accused eastern Libya’s commander Khalifa Haftar of seeking to “create a military dictatorship ” and vowed to “defend” the country's Tripoli-based government.

Haftar, who controls swathes of eastern Libya , launched an offensive in April last year to seize Tripoli. He said on Monday that his self-styled army had “accepted the will of the people and its mandate.”

Turkey’s foreign ministry said that, with this announcement, Haftar “has once again demonstrated that he does not seek a political solution to the crisis in Libya, does not support international efforts in this regard… and aims to create a military dictatorship in the country.”