Lavrov to Meet Libyan Counterpart on Dec. 30

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to hold a meeting in Moscow with his Libyan counterpart Mohamed Taha Siala on December 30, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s statement.

Lavrov and Siala are set to exchange views on the situation in Libya, including efforts to strengthen the ceasefire regime.

Zakharova announced, Thursday, that her country denied accusations of supporting the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar in Tripoli in 2019.

Zakharova stated that since the beginning of the armed confrontation between eastern and western Libya, Russia had an active role in solving it within various international forums.

She added that they were communicating with all Libyan parties, urging them to end the conflict, rejecting any accusations, referring that Russia supported the Libyan National Army’s attack in Tripoli in 2019.

Thus, she responded to the criticism, directed by the United States to Russia regarding the “Libyan file,” noting that Washington carried out blatant armed aggression against this Arab country.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also pointed out that following these events, the United States effectively withdrew itself for a long time, from settling the crisis, caused by its fault.

On the other hand,  Lavrov received  Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the Libyan Parliament who was visiting Moscow at the invitation of the Russian Duma.

During the meeting, Lavrov said that the settlement in Libya must include all major political forces and all regions of the north-African country.

He stressed that Moscow has been in contact with all Libyan political forces for years. He added that Libya is living in a calmer atmosphere in light of the ceasefire holding for a long time.

The Russian Foreign Minister noted that “the sooner post-conflict settlement is completed and normal post-conflict life begins, the quicker we will be able to resume bilateral cooperation in all areas: energy, transport infrastructure, as well as economic and investment projects in general for the benefit of our peoples.”