ANKARA

Turkey's president on Thursday said Turkey would continue defending its rights and interests, adding that the country's future and security began far beyond its borders. 

Turkey will continue to defend its rights and interests in Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean, Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted, speaking in the capital Ankara at an event for the disabled as well as children under government protection.

Referring to joint plans with Libya to send Turkish troops to the North African country, Erdogan said: "We are in these lands [Libya], where our ancestors made history, because we were invited there to resolve injustice and persecution."

He said Turkey would provide "the best response" to those who did not understand that the country's security began beyond its borders, slamming criticism against the decision.

On Jan. 2, Turkey’s parliament passed a motion allowing the government to send troops upon a request by the GNA, which has been besieged by Haftar's forces.

The warlord Haftar, backed by Egypt and the U.A.E., has made significant advances in recent weeks.

In April, Haftar's forces launched a military campaign to capture Tripoli from the internationally recognized government.

Since the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and another in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.