PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday accused his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of failing "to keep his word" to end meddling in conflict-torn Libya.

"We have seen in recent days Turkish ships accompanying Syrian mercenaries arriving on Libyan soil," Macron said at a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

This deployment is "a clear violation of what President Erdogan pledged at the Berlin conference" where world leaders vowed to keep out of the Libyan conflict, Macron added.

"It is a failure to keep his word," the French leader said.

Since April last year, the government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli has fought back against an offensive launched by fighters loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar.

Although the GNA under Fayez Al-Sarraj is recognized by the UN as Libya's legitimate government, the world body's member states do not agree when it comes to the North African country.

The GNA is backed by Qatar and Turkey, which recently sent troops to shore up Sarraj's embattled government.

Moscow is suspected of backing Haftar but denies funding Russian mercenaries on the ground.

Earlier this month in Germany, the presidents of Russia, Turkey, France and Egypt, as well as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and UN chief Antonio Guterres attended a summit where they agreed to end meddling in Libya and to uphold a weapons embargo as part of a broader plan to end the conflict there. — AFP