Turkey strongly urged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to cede power and leave the country while defining the self-proclaimed Benghazi authority as its only counterpart in Libya, in a clear change of position since the beginning of crisis.

“A new term has begun in Libya’s history. The words are over in the Libyan issue. What needs to be done at this point is that the Libyan leader pulls out from Libya and cedes power immediately,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters at a press conference in Istanbul on May 3. “Muammar Gaddafi should take this historic step for Libya’s territorial integrity and peace.”

Erdogan’s statement came a day after Turkey closed its embassy in Tripoli due to growing insecurity in the Libyan capital following the killing of Gaddafi’s son and his three grandchildren, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The closure of the embassy was followed by Erdogan’s statement that burned the bridges with Gaddafi’s regime. Under current conditions, Turkey’s single diplomatic representation is in Benghazi, under the authority of the Libyan National Congress.

Recalling that messages dispatched by Turkey were ignored by Gaddafi who preferred blood, tears, pressure and attacks on his own people instead of paying attention to advices and avoiding bloodshed, Erdogan said: “Under current conditions, the best way is to return power to its genuine owners, the Libyan people. Libya is not the property of a single man or one family.”